New Wilmington fire marshal named after former chief's criminal charge, retirement

Wilmington officials have appointed a new fire marshal.

This follows the former chief fire investigator's retirement, announced weeks after being charged with drunken driving in Maryland.

Gabriel M. Pabon, Jr., previously a fire captain, was promoted to deputy chief of fire prevention on July 31, a day after James Jobes resigned.

The announcement was not made until Tuesday, despite a News Journal inquiry to the Mayor's Office nearly three weeks ago about who would take over Jobes' duties. 

THE CHARGES: Wilmington fire marshal retires after drunken driving charge

Pabon will be in charge of investigations into the causes of major fires, fire safety programs for the public and fire code inspections in buildings. He will be paid $102,513 a year, the same as his predecessor.

He became a Wilmington firefighter in 1999 and was promoted to captain in June, according to a city news release. 

Pabon was formerly secretary-treasurer of the Wilmington firefighters' union. In that role, he was vocally critical of the city's practice of placing a fire truck out of service to save on overtime expenses.

The practice was cited after three firefighters were killed in the 2016 Canby Park house fire.

Before retiring, Jobes was suspended from the job in July after being pulled over in Maryland for driving 83 mph in a 55 mph zone, and then failing a roadside sobriety test. 

He admitted to "drinking a few beers," Maryland State Police Sgt. Ivan Barkley said. 

Barkley said Jobes' blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

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Jobes has previously declined to comment on the case through his Maryland attorney, other than to say they were looking forward to his day in court. 

He has a hearing scheduled for Sept. 5 in District Court for Queen Anne's County.

Jobes had worked for the Wilmington Fire Department since 1993, making him eligible for a city pension of at least half his salary.

Contact Jeanne Kuang at jkuang@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2476. Follow her on Twitter at @JeanneKuang.

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