Argyle fire chief suspended without pay after FBI arrest

Longtime Argyle Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger was suspended without pay Monday night after a brief board meeting in executive session.

Without further comment, three Argyle Volunteer Fire Department Board members unanimously suspended Hohenberger, 63, a few days after he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple violations. Hohenberger allegedly took nearly $500,000 of fire department operating funds to pay personal credit card bills, including cash advances at casinos and payments related to a family member’s business in Hawaii.

Representatives of the fire district declined to comment on the situation.

Hohenberger pleaded not guilty. He was arrested Thursday and released from jail the next day. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Hohenberger was planning to retire at the end of this year. His replacement, Ricky Vaughan, is slated to begin working in January.