Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) Chief Gary Vincent is suing Magnolia resident Peter Goeddertz over accusations against the chief and MVFD that Goeddertz posted on a Web site and sent out in a press release to local media.

Vincent, who has been fire chief for the past three years, is suing on the grounds that Goeddertz’s allegations are false and defamatory and damaging to his reputation in the community.

According to a court petition filed April 20 by Houston firm Bracewell & Giuliani LLP, which represents Vincent, Goeddertz’s statements were “false and defamatory” and “constitute libel per se, because they injured Vincent in his office, profession, or occupation; falsely charged Vincent with the commission of a crime.”

Goeddertz received the lawsuit May 6.

He said that he believes the lawsuit is in retaliation for open records requests that he has been making for the past eight months.

“I think we’ve embarrassed the fire department,” Goeddertz said.

He said the department has “stonewalled” him on many of his open records requests by appealing to the attorney general.

“They’re violating a lot of state laws, and that is private use of public funds, cell phones, vehicles, the fact that they’re withholding records and various Freedom of Information (FOI) requests that they are challenging,” he said.

Goeddertz said he first began investigating the department in 2007.

“I began to challenge them because they asked for a tax increase,” he said.

On the Web site, www.fixourfiredepartment.com, which Goeddertz maintains, allegations are made about the fire department including an accusation that the department uses taxpayer money to fund a clown and puppet program.

However, Jodi Adams, public education officer for Magnolia VFD, said that the program is and has been funded for the past three years only by donations from the public and grants.

“We get donations mailed in from the public and they all go into one account,” she said.

On Aug. 6, a meeting was held between Goeddertz, County Comissioner Craig Doyal, Montgomery County attorney David Walker, Montgomery County Pct. 2 Operations Manager Charlie Riley, Montgomery County Attorney’s Office Chief Investigator Jimmy Wiggins and members of the local media.

Goeddertz asked questions regarding fuel records for the department, and both Walker and Doyal advised Goeddertz to go directly to Vincent with those questions.

Goeddertz admitted he had not met with Vincent concerning the most recent fuel records he obtained, saying he “assumed the Chief would be hostile” towards him.

Walker told Goeddertz that Doyal was not going to investigate the situation, and that it “would be a waste of his time.”

Doyal told Goeddertz that he had already spoke with Vincent and the department several months ago when Goeddertz first made allegations against the department about record keeping.

“If you believe an ESD (Emergency Services District) director has misbehaved…the place to make that reference is the DA’s office,” Walker said. “There could be a fine line between mismanagement and criminal behavior.”

Following the meeting, Goeddertz said he was advised by his counsel not to meet with Vincent.

Vincent would not comment due to the current legal proceedings.

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