A Butler City firefighter is retiring with the rank of captain while still embroiled in a lawsuit against the city he previously served.

The Butler City Council voted on Thursday, Oct. 10, to approve the retirement of Capt. Donald P. Crawford, who was promoted to the rank only two months prior.

Crawford is in the midst of a lawsuit against the Butler Bureau of Fire, which was first filed in February 2023. The lawsuit claims that he was wrongfully denied a promotion to captain in 2019 despite scoring the highest on the preliminary examination, and that the fire department violated standards regarding promotion.

Crawford is seeking over $35,000 in wages that he would have earned from the promotion.

According the lawsuit, Crawford claims he was suspended in October 2021 for attempting to report allegations of sexual harassment against a former captain.

The case is ongoing in front of Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Yeager. City solicitor Tom Breth says that Yeager has granted the city’s preliminary objections and has granted Crawford a chance to file an amended complaint.

“I think it’s insulting to the honor and integrity of every fire person that has ever held the rank of captain that we have someone who accepted a promotion, did not complete the probationary period, and never worked a single day as caption, retiring with that title,” said city council member Donald Shearer during the meeting. “That being said, I wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Shearer was the one council member who voted against Crawford’s promotion to captain when it came up for vote at the council’s meeting on Aug. 22.