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Deputies: Gainesville firefighter gave Clay teens beer, wine coolers after Hurricane Matthew

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A Gainesville firefighter turned himself in to the Clay County Sheriff's Office after deputies say he provided alcohol to teens who were off from school due to Hurricane Matthew.

Jamal Ahmad Hafiz, 32, turned himself in Wednesday night on five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a CCSO arrest report.

Hafiz was being held on a total bond of $25,010, but has since bonded out of jail.

On Oct. 10, when Clay County schools were not in session due to the impacts of Hurricane Matthew, Hafiz provided five teens between the ages 14 and 16 with alcohol, the arrest report detailed.

One of the teens told her mother that she went over to a friend's house earlier that day and drank alcohol, saying she "drank 3 beers and 3 wine coolers in a very short period of time," while playing a drinking game involving a deck of cards, the report said.

The girl said her friend told her that a firefighter who is a friend purchased the alcohol, but said the man who bought the alcohol was not at the house when she got there. The girl said she later passed out.

Another girl who was at the house told investigators that the man's "name is Jamal and he is a firefighter" and she provided them with an Instagram name.

A teen boy that was at the house told deputies said he did not know the guy who brought "beer and some type of fruity drink that was a six pack," but that he appeared to be in his mid-20s. He said the man was with friends and did not stay long and they did not see the man's vehicle because they parked one street over to hide their car, the report said.

Investigators spoke with Clay County Public Safety and found Hafiz used to work for Clay County but recently resigned to go work for Alachua County Public Safety.

Detectives made contact with Hafiz and said he refused to provide a statement.

Gainesville Fire Rescue released the following statement:

"Today Gainesville Fire Rescue received notification of the arrest of one of its employees, entry level firefighter Jamal Hafiz in Clay County, for an offense which is alleged to have occurred in October 2016. The department has made immediate notification to appropriate city agencies and has initiated an administrative investigation into the incident. Firefighter Hafiz has been informed that an investigation has been initiated.  Hafiz currently remains on active duty, but has been relieved of all additional duties pending the completion of the administrative investigation. Department staff and city officials will have no further comment until the investigation report is complete."