PASADENA : Firefighter Pleads Not Guilty in Tire Slashing

A Pasadena firefighter who reportedly moonlights as a tire repair kit salesman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to one count of vandalism in connection with a tire-slashing incident at the Plaza Pasadena shopping mall.

Carter Stephens, 42, is also a suspect in at least 16 other tire slashings in the mall’s underground parking area, said city prosecutor Tracy Webb. Those incidents are still under investigation, Webb said.

Stephens was ordered to appear Dec. 28 in Pasadena Municipal Court for a pretrial hearing.

A Pasadena firefighter since 1987, Stephens turned himself into police Sept. 13 after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Webb said. Stephens was released that day on his own recognizance, Webb said. He is still on the job as a firefighter and told The Times that he did not slash the tires.

“(Fire Department supervisors) know me and my performance record,” Stephens said. “They know this type of thing doesn’t fit. It is unfortunate that I am being falsely accused.”

Police said an off-duty security guard saw Stephens at the scene of a tire slashing in the mall parking lot and wrote down the license plate of the car he left in.

Investigators traced the vehicle to a Pasadena car rental agency. The rental agency spokeswoman told police that Stephens regularly rented cars there and also sold the company tire-repair kits.