At least three firefighters in the North Dallas suburbs were arrested Thursday on several child sex abuse charges involving the same juvenile victim, according to court documents.
The men were charged after two of the suspects were reportedly honored with awards for their service to the community.
The three men, all affiliated with the Howe Fire Department in Grayson County, have been identified as David Yosimar Perez-Glass, Dalton Joe McCaslin and Joshua Todd Ryals.
They are facing multiple felony counts of either sexual assault of a child or indecency with a child involving sexual contact.
According to complaints, the three men allegedly targeted a 16-year-old junior firefighter who began volunteering at the department in January 2022.
Perez-Glass allegedly began harassing the girl within her first month at the department with behavior that quickly escalated during times they were alone at the station.
“Perez’s behavior scared her, and it eventually led to him hugging, grabbing her, and throwing her onto the sofa,” documents state.
The victim said despite her saying she was a virgin and “did not like what he was doing to her,” Perez-Glass allegedly assaulted her more than 20 times orally and had intercourse with her less than 10 times over the course of a year.
He also repeatedly threatened to rape her, kill her and “do things to her parents” if she ever reported their interactions, the documents said.
The alleged assaults reportedly ended when the victim turned the “legal age” of 17 and Perez-Glass no longer wanted to engage in a relationship.
During the year the alleged abuse occurred, Perez-Glass was reportedly named Firefighter of the Year by the Howe Fire Department and promoted to lieutenant.
Court documents also noted that McCaslin had a “consensual” sexual relationship with the girl beginning in December 2022.
During that period, the victim reportedly visited an apartment McCaslin shared with another firefighter in Van Alstyne.
The complaint alleged a private interaction occurred between McCaslin and the girl while the other roommate was asleep.
Separately, Ryals allegedly admitted to inappropriate contact with the victim while alone at the Howe Fire Station, court documents said.
The Melissa Fire Department said Ryals resigned the week before his arrest, when he was honored as Paramedic of the Year by the department March 16, Fox 4 News said.
Texas Rangers officers arrested the three suspects after an investigation.
Perez-Glass and McCaslin both face three counts of sexual assault of a child, while Ryals was charged with two counts of indecency with a child involving sexual contact.
All three were booked into the Grayson County Jail.
Read the full article here
