Bristol Kendall Fire Chief Placed On Administrative Leave

YORKVILLE, IL — The chief of the Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District was ousted Thursday evening after the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to place him on administrative leave.

More than halfway through the meeting, held on the second Thursday of each month, the Board retreated for a closed session. On the meeting's agenda, the purpose was listed as "the appointment, employment, compensations, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity."

Trustees resumed the public portion of their meeting to vote to place Chief James Bateman on administrative leave and unanimously appoint Jeremy Messersmith as interim chief of the Yorkville-based fire department, which serves the majority of Bristol and Kendall townships.

Board members did not discuss the reason for Bateman's removal but said the decision came "after a lot of discussion, some of it difficult."

Bateman, who was appointed to the top role in 2018, was not given a return date, according to reports from WSPY News.

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