FIREFIGHTER ARGUES GIRLFRIEND SPIKED HIS FOOD WITH MARIJUANA

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A firefighter who lost his job after failing a drug test
said he should get his job back because his girlfriend laced his food with
marijuana without his knowledge.

"I' m very despondent -- angry and despondent, " Carl Chestnut, a 20-year
veteran of the department, said Wednesday. " I feel victimized, that I
risked my life for the city and the department, and I' m not being given any
consideration. This is like a slap in the face."

On Tuesday, Chestnut filed an appeal with the Fire and Police Commission,
and a hearing is expected within the next three to four weeks, said Steve
Fronk, hearing examiner with the commission.

Chestnut said he tested positive for drugs in late April, because his now
ex-girlfriend laced brownies and salads with marijuana beginning in January.
She has admitted to trying to get him in trouble because of a dispute over
custody of their two children, Chestnut said.

Deputy Fire Chief Dan Shea said Chestnut was terminated on May 7, but he
would not say why.

"I don' t want to say anything that' s going to deter Carl Chestnut from
getting his job back through an
appeal," Shea said.

Shea said the department has a zero-tolerance policy on drug use, based on a
labor-management agreement signed in 1994 that allows random drug testing to
be done several times a year.

" We' re not trying to get anyone out of the department, " Shea said. " The
intent is to have a drug-free department."