Three former Marion County firefighters are set to return to court in Ocala on Thursday, April 30, 2026, for a change-of-plea hearing in a violent hazing case involving a 19-year-old colleague at Fire Station 21. The 10 a.m. hearing follows months of internal reviews, criminal filings, firings, union grievances and a civil claim that have kept the incident squarely in the public eye.
Seth Day, Edward Kenny and Tate Trauthwein, who previously pleaded not guilty, are expected to change those pleas at the hearing, according to ClickOrlando. Prosecutors are reportedly prepared to lay out the terms of a plea agreement during the morning session.
Investigators say video shows the rookie firefighter pinned to the ground, stripped of his belt and pants and held down while a towel was placed over his head and water poured on him in what deputies described as waterboarding. As WFTV quoted Sheriff Billy Woods, "they decided to get a bottle of water and a towel and water board him," an assault officials called shocking for the fire service.
A fourth employee who was initially arrested in November had her robbery charge dropped after prosecutors reviewed additional evidence, the State Attorney's Office told the Ocala Gazette. The three remaining defendants now face amended counts of false imprisonment and battery, prosecutors said.
What investigators say the cameras caught
Law enforcement and county officials say surveillance and body-camera footage captured much of the November episode, including the 19-year-old being chased into the station parking lot and repeatedly restrained. Local outlets that reviewed court records and the arrest affidavit reported that the confrontation began over a deleted TikTok video and escalated when coworkers tried to take the victim's phone, according to News4JAX.
Department fallout
County leaders moved quickly after the arrests. Four employees were fired in November, and an internal review later led to six more separations, including supervisory staff. The shake-up triggered grievances and renewed scrutiny of department policies, even as county officials pledged to tighten training and oversight, according to WCJB.
Union response and civil claims
Two former supervisors filed grievances arguing the internal probe was flawed, and one offer to return to work was later reversed amid ongoing disputes over how the investigation was handled. The alleged victim has also pursued a civil claim against the county, according to Spectrum News 13.
Legal outlook
Prosecutors amended the original kidnapping and robbery counts after reviewing the evidence. The State Attorney's Office said Kaylee Bradley would not be charged and that the remaining defendants now face false imprisonment and battery counts. Under Florida law, kidnapping can carry a potential sentence measured in decades, while false imprisonment is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, the Ocala Gazette reported.
What to watch at the hearing
The change-of-plea hearing is expected to clarify whether prosecutors have reached deals that would avoid a trial and what penalties the amended charges might bring. As WFTV noted, any plea agreement would move the case toward sentencing and help close a chapter that has already shaken Marion County Fire Rescue.
