Polk County government says it has received a resignation letter from fire captain James Williams, who is at the center of an investigation into the handling of a house fire that occurred last fall near Lakeland.
76-year-old Loretta Pickard died in the November fire while she was on the phone with a 9-1-1 dispatcher. At the time, Williams was suspended for 24 hours for videotaping, then posting the fire as he and his crew stood outside.
The county now says Williams' resignation is a result of that internal affairs investigation. A national firm--Emergency Services Consulting International--is conducting a review of the incident.