Grand Saline Fire captain charged with sexual assault of a child

GRAND SALINE – A man arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor and sexual assault of a child has been identified as Grand Saline Fire Captain Patrick Rowe. According to our news partner KETK, Grand Saline Fire Chief Jeremy L. Barker says Rowe is no longer with the City of Grand Saline or the Grand Saline Fire Department in any capacity. Barker gave his sympathy to the alleged victims and their families. “One person’s poor decisions do not represent our department,” said Barker. “Obviously, this has cast a bad light upon our fire department and has given us a bit of a black eye. We just want our community to know that we do not condone or support any actions of this nature. That is not who we are as a department, nor what we stand for.”

Police said their investigation started on Jan. 9 and that Rowe was arrested the same day. Rowe taken to the Van Zandt County Detention Center. Police said that their investigation is ongoing and more charges may be filed. “What we need to do right now is rally together as a community and move forward,” Barker said.