The St. Lucie County Fire District says it terminated three employees and suspended two others following an independent investigation into allegations that senior personnel used a modified bug zapper to electrically shock junior firefighters while they were on duty.
The district released a statement Saturday, July 18, along with a 2025 workplace culture analysis and a May 2026 investigative report detailing the incidents.
According to the documents, firefighter-paramedic Roberto "Rocky" Tapia provided videos and photographs to district administrators in March 2026. Investigators determined that several of the recordings showed incidents that occurred at Station 1 in March and September 2024.
The device was reportedly constructed from a dismantled bug zapper and modified so it could deliver electrical shocks to people.
One video showed then-probationary employee and paramedic apprentice Matthew Lohse seated in a chair while senior employees asked him paramedic-related questions. Investigators said Lohse was shocked when he answered incorrectly as other employees watched and laughed.
Other videos showed then-probationary or apprentice firefighters Kyle Kirkham and John Edmondson being shocked multiple times. The report noted that the employees appeared to experience pain, including yelling, groaning, twitching and pulling away from the device.
Several witnesses told the investigator that the junior employees had consented to participating. Lohse, Kirkham and Edmondson also said they had agreed to be shocked.
However, independent investigator John "J.K." Keller concluded that the power imbalance between senior personnel and probationary employees undermined the credibility of those claims of consent.
The investigation found that only junior, probationary or apprentice employees were shown being subjected to repeated shocks. Investigators found no comparable evidence showing senior employees being seated, questioned and shocked for incorrect answers.
Keller concluded that Tapia, Kayla Gammie, Douglas Boudrias, Christopher Baldwin and Jordon Hutchison violated district rules governing employee conduct and workplace violence.
The report identified Boudrias, Baldwin and Hutchison as leading participants in the conduct and recommended that all three be terminated. Hutchison was also identified as the owner of the device and the person who modified it.
The investigator recommended 48-hour unpaid suspensions for Tapia and Gammie.
Tapia participated in the incidents and recorded the videos, according to the report, but investigators considered his decision to eventually report the behavior and provide evidence to be a mitigating factor.
The report found that Gammie participated in questioning Lohse while he faced being shocked for wrong answers but did not personally operate the device or help construct it. Investigators also noted that she accepted responsibility for her conduct.
The Fire District said it followed the independent investigator's recommendations, terminating three employees and suspending two.
Earlier report raised concerns about station culture
The newly released documents also include a July 2025 workplace culture analysis of Station 1A conducted by attorney Susan Gainey.
That investigation did not substantiate formal harassment allegations or find specific policy violations. However, more than 30 employees were interviewed, and witnesses described the station as having a culture marked by intense peer pressure, social exclusion, aggressive banter and behavior that sometimes crossed the line between horseplay and hazing.
Some employees reportedly described the station as cliquish and said newer personnel could feel isolated or unwelcome. The report also stated that firefighters had requested transfers, avoided bidding for assignments at the station or considered leaving the district because of the workplace environment.
Gainey recommended reassigning personnel, counseling supervisors and expanding training related to workplace conduct, leadership, conflict de-escalation and professional boundaries.
The Fire District said those personnel reassignments were operational and non-disciplinary because the allegations being examined at the time could not be substantiated through on-the-record testimony.
District administrators said the 2024 videos were concealed from management and did not become known until March 2026, resulting in a separate investigation.
Because some of the employees shown in the videos had previously accused Fire Chief Jeff Lee and District Attorney Kim Sabol of wrongdoing, the district said it hired outside counsel to avoid any appearance that the investigation was retaliatory or biased.
Keller recommended that the matter be reported to law enforcement and the Florida Department of Health in addition to the administrative investigation. The released documents do not state whether criminal charges were filed.
The disciplined employees have initiated the contractual grievance and arbitration process, according to the district. The Fire District said it will present its evidence during that process and does not plan to comment further while it remains pending.
The released materials did not include separate statements from the disciplined employees or their union.