Oakland fire captain arrested on child porn charges

OAKLAND - An Oakland fire captain was arrested Wednesday night and charged with two counts of child pornography possession after searches of his Lafayette home and fire house found illegal materials on his computers, according to the Contra County Sheriff and jail records.

Capt. Richard Chew, 58, of Lafayette is being held in Contra Costa jail in Martinez on $200,000 bail for the two felony counts.

Chew and others were lauded for their heroism in 2008 as part of a rescue effort at Hegenberger Road and Hamitlon Street.

Chew declined an interview from jail on Thursday.

In a statement, Oakland Fire Department Interim Chief Darin White, wrote:

"I am appalled by the disturbing nature of these charges. When we learned of the investigation, I immediately placed the employee in question on administrative leave. If the allegations are true, this criminal behavior violates our community's standard of decency and breaches the standard of conduct we uphold in the Oakland Fire Department. I appreciate the swift professionalism with which the Contra Costa Sheriff's Department handled this matter. Any further media inquiries regarding this matter should be referred to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office."