Former Belvedere deputy fire chief charged with raping 15-year-old girl
A former Belvedere deputy fire chief has been charged with raping a 15-year-old girl whom Delaware State Police say he met through his job last year.
The girl and 39-year-old Dwayne L. Pearson Jr. met in July during a joint training operation with another fire department, according to court documents obtained by Delaware Online/The News Journal.
The two met a second time that month at a fire station. That's when, the court documents claim, Pearson's conversation with her turned sexual. Some of these conversations occurred on social media, including Snapchat.
Their encounter turned physical the following month when the girl would meet Pearson, who would arrive in his Belvedere Fire Company pickup truck, court records say. They would then drive somewhere else, where they would have sex, according to the court documents.
In early September, the girl's mother was told about a possible relationship between her daughter and Pearson. The mother confronted her daughter, who admitted to the sexual relationship, according to court records.
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On Sept. 11, the court documents say, Pearson contacted the girl and told her an investigation had been launched and that she needed to remove him from Snapchat.
"He also told her what to say if she is approached or asked any questions regarding their relationship," according to the documents.
Five days later, court documents claim, Pearson told her to add him back on Snapchat. Then, using the app, he "told her to delete every correspondence between them," according to investigators.
Pearson was interviewed on Sept. 26 by state police investigators. He admitted, according to court documents, to knowing the girl, having met her on several occasions and being friends with her on social media.
Pearson also told investigators that he stopped being friends with the girl on Snapchat, adding that he refused to meet with her at a certain location "because he didn't want any inappropriate rumors to generate," the court documents said. Instead, he told investigators, he offered another location to meet.
That's where Pearson told investigators that he and the girl talked about problems she was having with her mother concerning a boy.
Because of this conversation, Pearson said, "[the girl] removed all males in her Snapchat application," court documents say.
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Pearson denied having sex with the girl when asked, but according to court documents, could not provide a reason why the girl would make this up.
Earlier this month, a warrant was obtained for the arrest of Pearson, who surrendered to police on Thursday. He is no longer a member of the Belvedere Fire Company.
In addition to second-degree rape, Pearson has been charged with sexual abuse of a child by a person of trust and unlawful sexual contact with a person under 18 years.
Pearson was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $92,000 cash bail.
Police are asking anyone who believes they have information regarding additional information about Pearson to contact the detective at (302) 365-8446. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Former Belvedere deputy fire chief charged with raping teen girl
