City Man Pleads To Assaulting Firefighter

HARRISONBURG — As a jury waited to hear his case, a Harrisonburg man accused of beating a city firefighter during a medical call pleaded guilty Tuesday in Rockingham County Circuit Court.

William Franklin Haliburton, 19, pleaded guilty to one felony count of assaulting a firefighter engaged in public duties as a result of a December 2011 incident.

During a preliminary hearing in Rockingham County General District Court in February, a Harrisonburg firefighter testified that the defendant punched him and later hit him with a miniature baseball bat.

Prosecutors say the Harrisonburg Fire Department and Harrisonburg Rescue Squad responded to Haliburton’s home off Reservoir Street around 6 p.m. Dec. 12 for a medical call. Haliburton was being helped outside the home by firefighters when he became violent.

The attack left the firefighter with a gash on his head. He was taken to Rockingham Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for lacerations and released.

Judge James Lane scheduled sentencing for Feb. 19. Haliburton, who faces up to five years in prison, is free on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com