A Charlotte fire captain is set to appear in court this week on a misdemeanor domestic assault charge.
A pretrial hearing for Tyger Fullerton of Charlotte is set for Thursday, according to the Eaton County Prosecutor's Office.
A woman told police on Aug. 22, 2021 that Fullerton pushed her down the stairs during an argument, although Fullerton told police she fell down the stairs, according to a Michigan State Police report.
The woman and Fullerton are in a child custody dispute, court records show. She has a personal protection order out against him. A judge declined to terminate that order earlier this year, after Fullerton described the woman as the aggressor and said she made false accusations against him to police.
A state police sergeant arrested Fullerton in August and officers booked him into the Eaton County Jail, according to the police report.
Investigators reviewed home security footage provided by Fullerton showing part of the home's upper floor with the staircase just out of view. That video includes the sound of the woman falling and shows Fullerton walking away from the area afterwards, according to the report.
The woman can be heard saying "You just pushed me down the [expletive] stairs," according to the report.
Charlotte City Manager Erin LaPere confirmed Fullerton is still employed by the city, but she declined to say whether he had been suspended or subject to any disciplinary action, calling that a "personnel" matter. She did not respond to a question about Fullerton's current salary.
Nicole Samuel, who's listed as Fullerton's attorney in the custody and PPO dispute, declined to comment through her office.
An attorney representing the woman also declined to comment.
Staffing issues have beset the city's fire department in recent weeks. All 23 of Charlotte's active on-call firefighters resigned during a public meeting in March, citing a breakdown in communication with the City Council.
Earlier that day, Fire Chief Robert Vogel put in two-weeks notice of his resignation.
The City Council voted Monday to appoint retired Bellevue Fire Chief Mark Jordan. During that meeting, the volunteers also agreed to return to duty.
Fullerton served as Charlotte's acting fire chief before Vogel's appointment, records show. He's also served as assistant chief, according to news articles and a city website.
