Towne is fired

Former Cairo fire chief Don Towne is without a job following a unanimous vote of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night to terminate him.
Towne resigned his position here in June to accept the position of chief of Barrow County Emergency Services after having served as fire chief since October 2007.
Since leaving Towne, his wife, his father-in-law and two others have been charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation with theft of cable services from the city of Cairo.
The former chief turned himself over to authorities on Friday, July 9th, and once Barrow County officials learned of their new chief’s legal woes he was suspended without pay.
Towne’s tenure in Barrow County ended abruptly this week as the board of commissioners voted to terminate him following a nearly one hour closed door session.
Towne told authorities in Barrow County last month he had to return to Cairo because of a “family emergency” only to learn later of his arrest.