Fireman held on sex charge in Seabrook
You know that your little town has arrived when it makes the news with a sex scandal involving a public servant of some sort. Guess what, y’all? Yep, Seabrook has hit the big time. Right; like this is something to be proud of. Apparently, we’re now just a corruption scandal away from being just like any other small town….
OK, as sex scandals go, this is small potatoes (if this can even be said about such things), but it still involves a public servant, in this case a Seabrook fireman, having sexual contact with an underage girl. Do you hear that rumbling off in the distance? Could that be a lynch mob, complete with pitchforks and torches?
Amid allegations of a late-night rendezvous at the firehouse, a Seabrook firefighter has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
Joshua David Burke also was investigated for having sex with a 17-year-old girl in the firehouse near Seabrook City Hall but charges were declined.
Burke, a 21-year-old student at San Jacinto-Central and a firefighter since September 2004, is out on $10,000 bond after he was charged Feb. 2.
Police said the parent of the 14-year-old filed a complaint after discovering Burke had a sexual relationship with the minor. Lt. Sean Wright, police spokesman said the 14-year-old girl was assaulted three times at different addresses. One of the incidents happened at the friend of a friend’s house in Clear Lake and once in a car and at another locale, police said. Police said that some of the addresses were not known.
The last attack occurred Oct. 4, 2004 with the others occurring after April 2003, police said….
The charge of aggravated sexual assault with a 14-year-old and the investigation that will support that case contrasts with fire department statements that say that no such behavior is tolerated or allowed.
Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Dominic DelRosso said that Burke was suspended when the charge was made. “It’s kind of like the police department; we get the guy off the street kind of thing for our safety and everyone else’s well being and protection,” said DelRosso.
“The allegations appear to be off-duty and certainly not related to any fire department-sanctioned activity,” said DelRosso. “As a department, there are no circumstances or conditions where we would condone anything like that or any of that unseamly behavior.”
To make matters worse, Burke apparently had sex with a 17-year-old girl in the Seabrook fire station. This incident also involved the consumption of alcohol in the fire station. Yep, this would seem to be some world-class DUMB@$$ AWARD- quality stuff.
Of course, city officials are making all of the right noises indicating outrage and indignation. Let’s hope that these officials at least learn something from this sorry episode.
Now, if we could just see the mayor or a council member indicted for downloading kiddie porn on city computers, you’ll know that Seabrook has truly hit the big time.
