Fire boss charged in hit and run

John Bodden, Acting Chief Fire Officer

(CNS): John Bodden, who was suspended from his temporary position as acting chief fire officer last month following his arrest in connection with a hit and run in Savannah, has been charged. Police said the 47-year-old Bodden Town man was charged on Thursday afternoon with careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, using a vehicle with an expired license coupon and without a certificate of roadworthiness.

Bodden is accused of running down a 14-year-old boy and his 21-year-old brother close to the Savannah Primary School on National Heroes Day. While both of the brothers were hit by the vehicle as they crossed the street, the teenager suffered serious head and leg injuries and was hospitalized for several weeks. Bodden is believed to have struck the young men in his own Lincoln Town car and then left the scene.

An RCIPS spokesperson said he had been bailed to appear in court on Monday 13 July.

Since being place on required leave, Ronnie Dixon has been holding the reigns at the Cayman Islands Fire Service as the home affairs ministry continues the battle to find a permanent chief fire officer.