Assistant Fire Marshal Resigns

TYLER — Smith County Assistant Fire Marshal Oren Hale has resigned. According to a news release, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office of Professional Responsibility Investigator completed and closed the internal investigation of Hale, which had been requested by the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office. Prior to the conclusion of the investigation, on August 24, Hale tendered his resignation to Fire Marshal Connie Wasson.

Hale was recently cited for failing to maintain a single lane of traffic, and he was said to have a cup in the center console of his county fire marshal’s unit. It was said to have contained coke and bourbon. Sheriff’s deputies say when they pulled behind Hale’s vehicle, they both saw what they described as pornography on the onboard computer monitor inside the vehicle. Wasson ordered an investigation into the incident.

A report from the sheriff’s department says the deputies said Hale had difficulty maintaining a single marked lane of traffic. They also reported seeing his vehicle driving on the improved shoulder and then back into the designated outside lane of traffic.

According to an earlier news release from the sheriff’s department, the incident was captured by onboard video and audio camera. It was not immediately released, pending the results of the internal investigation. They said it would be available at some point subsequent to the investigation.