Firefighter arraigned on drug charges
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff
Anthony Gaston, the veteran firefighter who was allegedly caught smoking marijuana Friday afternoon in a car in Dorchester, pleaded not guilty today to drug possession charges.
Gaston, a fire inspector assigned to the department's Fire Protection Division, was arraigned before Judge Sydney Hanlon in Dorchester District Court. He faces two counts of marijuana possession and one count of illegal possesion of prescription drugs.
Hanlon ordered him held after revoking his bail on a previous assault and battery charge. Two other men who were arrested with Gaston were released on personal recognizance.
Attorneys for all three men said that only a small amount of marijuana was found on them.
Gaston was allegedly in uniform when police, acting on a top from the public, spotted him in a department vehicle on Dunlap Street at about 2:40 p.m. Friday.
Gaston, who has been a firefighter since 1982, is responsible for inspecting sites with hazardous materials, such as gas stations.
In 2002, Gaston was hailed as a hero after rescuing residents from a burning building.
Gaston's arrest came as Boston firefighters and city officials have locked horns in contract talks over drug and alcohol testing for firefighters.
