Judge acquits two Montgomery Co. firefighters charged after soaking of Montgomery Blair High baseball field

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Editor’s note: This story, originally published by Bethesda Today at 5:16 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2025, was updated at 5:50 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2025, to correct the statement that a judge acquitted Alan Barnes of the charges he faced. The charges were dismissed by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office prior to trial.

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner Bethesda Today and republished with permission. Sign up for Bethesda Today’s free email subscription today.

Two Montgomery County firefighters no longer face criminal charges connected with a July incident in which the Montgomery Blair High School baseball field in Silver Spring was soaked with gallons of water sprayed from a fire apparatus hose at an adjacent fire station.

In Montgomery County District Court in Silver Spring, Judge Rand Gelber on Friday acquitted Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) Capt. Chris Reilly of charges related to the incident and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office dismissed charges filed against firefighter Alan Barnes.

Read more at Bethesdamagazine.com.

After the soaking incident, the field was deemed unplayable that day.

The case put a national spotlight on the county fire department this summer as it was dealing other issues such as crews damaging a firetruck after driving it into flood waters and an employee who posted a racist comment on social media.

Read more at Bethesda Magazine.

Bethesda Today

Bethesda Today, and its print publication Bethesda Magazine, is the primary source of local news in Montgomery County and was previously known as Bethesda Beat and MoCo360.

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