Shier fired from fire district, faces voyeurism charge

NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County Fire District 2 (POCFD2) confirmed the termination of former Training Captain Martin Shier following an incident on May 18 when Shier was arrested and charged with attempted voyeurism at one of the district’s fire stations.

Shier pleaded not guilty to the charge on Wednesday, June 3 in Pend Oreille County District Court and was released after posting bond. Judge Robin McCroskey issued a no-contact order between Shier and the woman in the case.

According to the probable cause statement, Shier was arrested for attempted voyeurism after Fire Chief Christopher Haynes reported a woman blockaded herself in the bathroom after seeing a phone camera pointed in her direction when she finished showering.

When Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the fire station, the woman was still in the bathroom and immediately asked if Shier was still in the station. The two work together as firefighters.

When confronted by deputies about the photos, Shier said he hadn’t taken any photos and that he had been checking to see if the heater mounted on the wall near the bathroom was working. Deputies noted that the thermostat is on the opposite side of the room, according to court documents.

After investigating Shier’s phone, deputies discovered a deleted video taken in May that was taken from the bathroom floor, showing the shower. According to the woman, she had been drying off in the shower room when she noticed a black-and-red phone between the door and the floor, taking pictures or a video of her. When she saw it, she said the phone was pulled away.

“Based on the video I saw, and what (she) described, I believed this was not the first time Shier had done this,” Deputy Daniel Burkey wrote in the probable cause statement.

When asked if he could explain the video Burkey found of the bathroom floor on his phone, Shier said he could not. Shier said he thought about taking pictures of the woman in the shower but didn’t. Shier said he did put his phone between the door and the floor of the bathroom, and then changed his mind. He said he wasn’t even looking at the camera when he did it.

According to court records, Shier admitted that he’d only done that one other time – in the video Burkey saw on Shier’s phone.

Shier had served as a part-time volunteer in POCFD2 for approximately four years before transitioning to a full-time probationary position as Training Captain in January 2026, according to Chief Christopher Haynes.

Haynes said a thorough multistate background investigation was conducted when Shier was initially hired as a volunteer, resulting in an extensive report. All references provided by the applicant were contacted, with no negative information received.

Upon learning of the reported incident involving the female coworker, Haynes immediately contacted the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office to, “Ensure a prompt law enforcement response and that any potential crimes were fully investigated and prosecuted.”

Shier was removed from the premises and terminated by Chief Haynes within hours of the incident.

“POCFD2 fully supports the victim-employee, who received immediate assistance, time off as needed, ongoing EAP (Employee Assistance Program) support, and continued communication from leadership,” Haynes said in a press release. “The district has cooperated fully with law enforcement and the Prosecutor’s Office, including expressing strong support for full prosecution.”

In response to the incident, Haynes said the district has installed privacy covers on all bathroom and sensitive-area doors across facilities, reported the matter to the Board of Fire Commissioners, consulted legal counsel and Human Resources, and implemented additional preventive measures to protect employee privacy.

“Maintaining a safe, respectful, and trustworthy environment for our personnel is paramount,” Haynes said. “We acted decisively to support our employee and hold individuals accountable.”

SOPHIA MATTICE-ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.