UPDATED:
A criminal charge against Buchanan's former fire chief have been dropped.
Billy Joe Carter was accused of harrassing a firefighter over the phone earlier this year.
Online court records show the charge was dismissed last Thursday.
Carter resigned as fire chief in July.
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UPDATED 11:00PM
The chief for Buchanan's volunteer fire department has resigned. Billy Joe Carter made the move today. He says he felt pressured by town and county leaders to do so.
Carter has been in legal trouble recently. He's been charged with making threats to a Roanoke city firefighter.
Speaking on camera only to WDBJ7, Carter says those accusations have been blown out of proportion. But earlier this year he was shocked by a down line at a fire scene.
Tonight he admitted he wasn't wearing his firefighting gear, even wearing Crocs sandals instead of boots.
We asked if he was waering all the proper gear. He replied, "No, I was not. When I arrived on scene I didn't have any PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) at all. I didn't even have a chance to get it out of the truck. That's how fast everything just happened."
Carter has been with the department for nearly seven years.
He will stay on as an honorary member, but is not allowed to go out on any calls.
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Embattled Buchanan Volunteer Fire Chief Billy Joe Carter has confirmed to WDBJ7 that he is stepping down from his post as chief.
Carter confirmed the news Thursday afternoon.
He was charged July 6 with threatening a Roanoke City firefighter.
The charge is only a misdemeanor, but Carter was arrested because he refused to sign the warrant.
In January, Carter was injured on the job when a power line overheated and fell on him at a mobile home park.
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Original story from July 9
Buchanan Volunteer Fire Chief Billy Joe Carter has been arrested on charges that he threatened another firefighter.
Carter was served with a warrant Friday for making a threatening phone call to a Roanoke City firefighter.
The charge is only a misdemeanor, but Carter was arrested because he refused to sign the warrant.
You may remember Carter from a story WDBJ7 aired in January. Carter was injured when a power line overheated and fell on him at a mobile home park.
Click here to see that story.
