Richmond grand jury faults former fire chief's tenure

AUGUSTA - Former Augusta Fire Chief Ronnie Few was a ``bandit&#39;&#39; who disregarded policy in his administration of the department, costing the county thousands of dollars in unauthorized spending. <br> <br> That&#39;s according to a special grand jury&#39;s investigation of Few&#39;s tenure. <br> <br> The grand jury accused Few of lavish spending, creating slush funds outside the department budget, awarding promotions arbitrarily and obstructing investigators. <br> <br> Few was not indicted and has not been charged with a crime. <br> <br> District Attorney Daniel Craig says that the grand jury -- convened more than two years ago to examine county governance -- could issue indictments when it concludes its work in coming weeks. <br> <br> The report, the grand jury&#39;s seventh so far, is the most extensive to emerge since the panel convened 31 months ago. <br> <br> Few, who has resigned as chief in Washington D.C. after questions arose about the accuracy of his resume and academic credentials, was Augusta fire chief for two years. He worked in East Point before getting the Augusta post. <br> <br> Few did not return a message left at his office in Washington D.C. <br> <br> Few&#39;s hiring as the city&#39;s first black fire chief was widely supported by elected officials, grand jurors said, but it also caused commissioners to protect Few at any cost. <br> <br> Most city officials reached for comment said they had not yet read the entire report and declined to discuss specific topics in it.