Former McCloud fire chief under investigation for "sexual improprieties"

McCLOUD, Calif. – The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office has completed its review of a case involving alleged “sexual improprieties” against a minor by a McCloud firefighter.

SCSO said former McCloud Fire Chief Richard “Rick” Dexter is accused of trying to solicit sex from a minor under 18-year-old.

The sheriff’s office has completed the months-long initial probe into a number of allegations that arose. However, SCSO said not all allegations could be “reasonably substantiated.”

The charges SCSO forwarded on to prosecutors for review include solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual behavior, obscene or annoying electronic messaging, and possessing obscene matter involving a minor under the age of 21.

Sheriff Jon Lopey said the following regarding the case: “This case involved a number of investigative leads, electronic retrieval issues, and developments that could not be resolved as quickly as we would have liked but we are relieved that this phase of the investigation has been completed and the report submitted to the district attorney. We are confident that evidence developed in this case reasonably corroborates the charges requested but it will take time to determine the outcome in this case and thus far, no charges have been filed in the Siskiyou County Superior Court. This case is still under investigation and anyone with information about this or related incidents is urged to contact the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office 24-hour Dispatch Center at (530) 841-2900.”