A Santa Clara firefighter has been arrested on child molestation charges stemming from a yearlong relationship with a 14-year-old boy he met through the Internet, police said Monday.
Michael William Rose, 35, is an eight-year veteran of the Santa Clara Fire Department.
Police learned of the alleged molestation after the Santa Clara boy came forward, Sgt. Kurt Clarke said.
The boy told authorities that he met Rose after the pair chatted on the Internet and telephone, and sent text messages to each other for a year.
Police say lewd behavior occurred during Rose's encounter with the boy. Rose was arrested Aug. 25 after investigators conducted surveillance of Rose and found him about to drive away with a different underage boy. Clarke would not reveal specific details of either incident.
Rose, who lives in Auburn, is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 8 on three felony counts that include lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor and electronically sending harmful matter to a minor. He was released on $50,000 bail.
Authorities, however, stressed that Rose's alleged activities occurred off-duty and were not connected to his role as a firefighter. Firefighters at Rose's department declined to comment.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Investigations Division of the Santa Clara Police Department at (408) 615-4800.
Distributed by the Associated Press
