ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
A high-ranking Orlando Fire Department district chief has been found guilty of battery. Melvin Rivenbark will be getting out of jail sometime in the next 24 hours after a jury found him guilty Wednesday.
David Bremer on Thursday showed us his banged up knee. It's one of the many injuries he says he still suffers from after being a victim of road rage seven months ago.
"Crushed all the wires where they'd done bone reconstruction back in the 90s. He crushed 3 discs in my back, when he grabbed it on this side of it and squeezed the cartilage out of the disc so they've got to do extensive surgery on my neck," said Bremer.
Bremer was driving home from bible study in his Jeep when he rear-ended Rivenbark's minivan.
"I was coming north on John Young from bible study. I was following a blue minivan, and it slammed on the breaks in front of me for no reason. I just barely bumped the back of the minivan."
He says seconds later, the driver of the van got out and approached him. "He was in uniform. He had a badge. I thought he was going to ask if I was okay," said Bremer. "He came up and just went crazy and started grabbing me by my throat and hair and stared hitting my head upside the inside of the jeep and trying to pull me out."
While Bremer is glad Rivenbark was found guilty, he feels the five day jail sentence is too lenient. And he's worried That Rivenbark will be back to work as a district fire chief. "I don't think he should be out in the public dealing with people," said Bremer.
FOX 35 checked with administration at the Orlando Fire Department. They had not yet heard about the guilty verdict against Rivenbark. They Chief and Deputy Chief of the department will decide if and how the guilty verdict will affect Rivenbark's employment.
