ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A veteran Orange County Fire Rescue employee, David Hepker, who was under investigation for alleged quid pro quo harassment, retired before facing potential discipline.
Hepker, who started his career in the early 1970s and retired as an assistant chief in 2010, was rehired immediately, allowing him to collect retirement benefits alongside a new six-figure salary.
Most recently he was the administrator overseeing professional standards, also known as internal investigations.
The investigative report is 51 pages and outlines harassment allegations from a woman Hepker asked to work for him four years ago.
The investigation sustained claims from the woman who once worked for him as an administrative specialist. She told investigators she recalled 40 alleged interactions, some involving uncomfortable advances.
The woman alleged that Hepker made comments about her appearance in workout clothes, invited her to his house while his wife was away, and suggested he could make a complaint against her disappear in exchange for something in return.
Hepker, who was responsible for internal investigations, allegedly told her she was missing out on love and affection, and he reportedly remarked on her attractiveness, claiming he wanted her to be successful.
Hepker told investigators he’d known her since she was a teenager as a family friend, wanted her to be successful, and may have told her she was attractive in response to her looking for sympathy.
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