TO HIS VOLUNTEER FIRE
DEPARTMENT.
A DECADE AGO ... HE WAS CHARGED
FOR
SETTING SEVERAL FIRES IN THE
SAME
COMMUNITY HE PROMISED TO
PROTECT.
NOW.... HE'S GETTING A SECOND
CHANCE.
10 NEWS REPORTER JESSICA
JEWELL SHARES HIS STORY OF
RESILIENCE AND REDEMPTION.
"SCOTTY BOYD" STARTED SERVING
HIS COMMUNITY AS A VOLUNTEER
AT IRON GATE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT
THE AGE OF 14.
SCOTTY BOYD/ VOLUNTEER, IRON
GATE FIRE DEPARTMENT "KNOWING AT
THE END OF THE NIGHT, YOU'D
HELPED YOUR NEIGHBORS IS THE
MAIN GOAL" BUT FIVE YEARS INTO
THE JOB.. HIS LIFE WENT UP IN
FLAMES.
"TWO ADULT MALES HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH
ARSON"
BOYD WAS ONE OF TWO VOLUNTEER
FIREFIGHTERS.... CHARGED WITH
SETTING EIGHT FIRES IN
ALLEGHANY AND BOTETOURT
COUNTIES... BETWEEN
DECEMBER 2006 AND DECEMBER 2007.
10 NEWS SPOKE WITH THE FIRE
CHIEF WHEN POLICE ARRESTED
THE MEN ELEVEN YEARS AGO. "IT'S
REAL BAD. IT'S A BIG SLAP IN THE
FACE."
THE SCANDAL ROCKED THE
SMALL TOWN OF IRON GATE... A
COMMUNITY OF LESS THAN 4-
HUNDRED PEOPLE.. LEFT WONDERING
HOW SOMEONE WHOSE
JOB WAS TO PROTECT THEM... COULD
HAVE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
"IT'S REALLY SHOCKING. YOU
KNOW A PERSON, AND THEY'RE GOOD,
CLEAN CUT PERSON. IT
HAPPENS. YOU JUST DON'T SEE IT
COMING."
THAT DECEMBER... BOYD SPENT
EIGHT DAYS IN JAIL BEFORE BEING
RELEASED TO AWAIT TRIAL.
1:07-1:11
SCOTTY BOYD/ VOLUNTEER, IRON
GATE FIRE DEPARTMENT "EVERYTHING
YOU HAVE WORKED FOR IS GONE.
EVERYTHING YOU
WILL WORK FOR, IT'S NOT GOING TO
BE THERE. IT'S LIKE THAT DAY I
WOKE UP THAT MORNING, MY LIFE
CHANGED FOREVER"
HE FOUGHT SOME OF THE VERY SAME
FIRES THAT HE STARTED.
"YOU KIND OF JUST STOOD BACK AND
WAS LIKE YOU KNOW THIS IS NOT
GOOD, LIKE WHY IS THIS
HAPPENING?"
AND THAT WAS THE BIG
QUESTION.... WHY.
"I KNEW IT WAS WRONG BUT AT THE
SAME TIME IT'S LIKE, DO YOU
DO WRONG OR DO YOU IMPRESS YOUR
FRIENDS AND REMAIN
FRIENDS?"
"KASEY DUDLEY"... NOW THE
ASSISTANT CHIEF.... WAS A
JUNIOR FIREFIGHTER AT THE TIME.
1:45-1:51
KASEY DUDLEY/ ASSISTANT CHIEF,
IRON GATE FIRE DEPARTMENT
"EVERYBODY HAD THEIR SUSPICIONS
BUT NOBODY EVER THOUGHT IT
COULD BE HIM"
THE PEOPLE WHO PUT THEIR LIVES
ON THE LINE TO FIGHT FIRES
ALONGSIDE BOYD WERE SHOCKED TO
FIND OUT THAT HE WAS
RESPONSIBLE.
"IT HIT US ALL HARD. IT WAS A
VERY HARD TIME FOR THE
DEPARTMENT. WE LOST A LOT OF
MEMBERS."
COURT DOCUMENTS
SHOW THAT BOYD PLEADED GUILTY IN
JUNE OF 2008.
HE SPENT 30 DAYS IN JAIL... AND
HAD
TO PAY MORE THAN 50 THOUSAND
DOLLARS IN RESTITUTION.
HE WANTED TO RETURN TO THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT AS A FELON,
HE COULDN'T.
"I WAS LIKE I'M GOING TO BE
NOBODY. YOU KNOW YOU'RE ALWAYS
WALKING AROUND WITH A GRAY CLOUD
OVER YOUR HEAD." THEN ON OCTOBER
31ST
20-16.... A TURNING POINT....
"DEAR CHRISTOPHER
SCOTT BOYD, I AM PLEASED TO
INFORM YOU THAT THE GOVERNOR
HAS RESTORED YOUR CIVIL RIGHTS."
THIS LETTER GAVE BOYD A SECOND
CHANCE... AND A SHOT AT
RETURNING TO THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT.
"I KNEW THAT DAY THAT LIKE I CAN
ACTUALLY BE SOMEBODY WITH MY
LIFE"
HE STILL HAD ALL OF THE
NECESSARY CERTIFICATIONS.... BUT
SOMETHING WAS MISSING. "'ARE WE
GOING TO BE ABLE TO
TRUST HIM? ONCE HE STARTS
PUTTING THAT TURNOUT GEAR
ON AGAIN, IS HE GOING TO HAVE
THE SAME THING?'"
NEARLY A DECADE AFTER HE
DISGRACED HIS DEPARTMENT....
THEY WELCOMED HIM BACK. DUDLEY
SAYS WHILE IT WAS A
DIFFICULT DECISION... "IT WASN'T
LIGHTLY THAT HE
GOT BACK IN"
..IT'S CLEAR NOW THAT IT WAS THE
RIGHT DECISION.
"WE NEED GUYS AND WE NEED GUYS
THAT ARE PHYSICALLY ABLE
TO GO DO THE WORK.' IT'S HARD
STRENUOUS WORK. HE'S
WILLING TO COME OUT HERE AND
RISK HIS LIFE TO GO INTO A
BURNING BUILDING." A CONSTANT
REMINDER OF BOYD'S MISTAKE STILL
SITS RIGHT
ACROSS THE RAILROAD TRACKS FROM
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WHAT WAS ONCE A HOUSE.... THAT
BOYD TURNED INTO A PILE OF
RUBBLE.
JJ "WHY?"
SB "WHY?11 HEY, THERE'S A FIRE,
LET'S GO PUT IT OUT"
JJ "SO WHAT'S IT LIKE FOR YOU TO
BE HERE NOW AND SEE THIS?"
SB "IT'S A MEMORY THAT I HAD A
HAND
IN THAT HAPPENING. IT'S JUST AN
AWKWARD
FEELING LIKE 53 EVERY TIME YOU
LOOK OVER HERE 00 COMING OVER
HERE, 03 I USE THAT AS AN
EXAMPLE TO DO BETTER" "IF HE
LEARNED SOMETHING AND
SAY TEN PEOPLE LEARN FROM HIM
NOT TO DO IT THEN I THINK US
GIVING HIM A SECOND CHANCE WAS
WORTH IT."
THOUGH THE PAIN HE CAUSED HIS
NEIGHBORS WILL LIKELY NEVER GO
AWAY... BOYD HOPES THAT WITH
EVERY CALL, HE CAN HELP THEM
HEAL.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE KNOWN AS
THAT GUY THAT BURNT THIS
COMMUNITY DOWN AND NOW BEING
ABLE TO FIX IT, IT'S AN AWESOME
FEELING"
SCOTTY BOYD'S SECOND
CHANCE.... TO MAKE THINGS
RIGHT.... BE THE FIREFIGHTER HE
ALWAYS WANTED TO BE.... AND RISE
FROM THE ASHES.
IN IRON GATE, JESSICA JEWELL. 10
NEWS, WORKING FOR
YOU.
TREE TROUBLES AT MILL MOUNTAIN
ZOO.