Opelika Fire Department Battalion Chief Noah Leavell Tarrance Allmond was charged with indecent exposure after he allegedly exposed himself to multiple victims at an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Glenn Avenue.
The incident was reported on Friday, May 31, to the Auburn Police Department, and leadership at OFD immediately placed Allmond on administrative leave.
On Monday, June 3, the Auburn Police Department of Public Safety issued a warrant for Allmond’s arrest. Allmond then resigned from his position at OFD and turned himself in to APD. This was Allmond’s first arrest.
While the identities of the victims have not been released, the victim who reported the incident is a 21-year-old female. Allmond, 44, is not a resident at the location of the incident nor an employee in the city of Auburn, where the incident occurred.
In Alabama, indecent exposure is a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable to up to one year in jail and $6,000 in fines. Depending on the severity of an indecent exposure case, the perpetrator may be placed on the sex offender registry.
When asked about Allmond, OFD only provided an official statement:
“On May 31, the Opelika Fire Department leadership was made aware of an incident involving one of our firefighters, Noah Allmond. Allmond was placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation was conducted. On June 3, Allmond tenured his resignation and is no longer employed with the City of Opelika. The situation remains under investigation by the police department.”
Allmond worked for OFD for over 20 years and earned the Fireman of the Year award in 2016 and 2021. In 2017, Allmond was among the firefighters recognized for the Firehouse Magazine Award of Valor for his rescue of an unconscious man in a residential fire in 2016.
Allmond’s arrest not only shocks Auburn and surrounding communities but raises questions about the safety of popular student neighborhoods.
Numerous apartment complexes are on West Glenn Avenue, with many residents being students at Auburn University and Southern Union State Community College. In 2023, Auburn had a student enrollment of 33,015, with 83% of students living in off-campus housing.
Susan McCallister, Auburn University's director of campus safety and compliance, provided insight into threatening situations on or near the university's campus:
“AU ALERTs (text, voice, email, computer messaging, Auburn Safety app, etc.) are for emergencies involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of the campus community occurring on campus. Campus Safety Notices (email and Auburn Safety app) are for certain types of crimes that may pose a serious ongoing threat to the campus community.”
Neither an AU ALERT nor a Campus Safety Notice were used to notify Auburn employees, residents or students about the situation involving Allmond and the victims near campus. McCallister says this is because “the situation was not directly impacting campus. If the city of Auburn felt there was an ongoing threat, they would have sent a notification.”
McCallister encourages residents on and near campus to be aware of their surroundings at all times, to report any instance of suspicious behavior, to not hold the door for people to entrances with restricted access, to travel in pairs or groups (especially at night) and to make trusted people aware of their comings and goings.
Auburn students also have access to the free Auburn Safety app, which enables them to report incidents or concerns, receive alerts, track friends and utilize more resources from the Department of Campus Safety & Security.
This is a developing story. The Auburn Plainsman will update this article as soon as further details are released.
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Sami Grace Donnelly, senior in English literature, began writing for the Plainsman in the fall of 2021. She has served as a columnist, writer abroad, Opinion Editor, managing editor and is now Editor-in-Chief of the Plainsman.
Michaela Yielding is a senior in journalism currently serving as the news editor. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since fall 2023.
