Paine Field fire chief will be allowed to retire

In his letter, the airport director noted Jeff Bohnet was leaving while under investigation.

EVERETT — The Paine Field fire chief who is accused of abusing county surplus rules will be allowed to retire as planned.

However, it won’t be in good standing, according to a letter from Snohomish County’s Airport Director Arif Ghouse.

He wrote the chief, Jeff Bohnet, a response Friday to Bohnet’s resignation letter.

Ghouse also noted in his letter that Bohnet was leaving while under investigation. Then he wished him well.

Bohnet, 65, has worked at Paine Field since 2003. He recently was accused of improperly coming into ownership of a piece of an old county fire truck. One of his employees got into trouble for similar conduct involving the same vehicle in 2015.

Bohnet didn’t violate any criminal laws this time but likely violated county rules, according to the investigation.

His retirement is scheduled for Friday.

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