Firefighter Pleas Guilty To Shooting At Bicyclist

A former Asheville firefighter pleaded guilty today to assault with a deadly weapon after he shot at a bicyclist earlier this year.

Forty-two year old Charles Alexander Diez was sentenced to 120 days in prison after he fired shots from a handgun at Alan Ray Simons on Tunnel Road on July 26. The shots struck Simons helmet and just missed his skull.

A police report stated that Diez has confronted Simons earlier after he became concerned about the safety of Simon’s young child, who was riding on the back of the bike in a bike seat. The Fire Department put Diez, a 17 year veteran, on paid leave and he lost his job on August 10.