Shockwaves are rolling through the Town of Kingsville as word spreads about the arrest of the town's longstanding fire chief.
Bob Kissner, 60, was arrested on Saturday following an investigation into alleged sexual offences involving a 17-year-old.
He's facing two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation.
Kissner has led the fire departments in Kingsville and Leamington for more than 30 years. On Saturday, the OPP major crime unit was called to investigate allegations of sexual assault and as a result, he was arrested and taken into police custody.
He was granted bail and released on Monday. His next court appearance is Jan. 10.
“Our community has been taken aback,” says Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos. “Our fire department personnel are, and continue to be prepared to respond to any and all emergency calls without any disruption in service to our community.”
Santos says emergency calls for fires haven't been affected. The town has appointed deputy fire chief Jeff Dean as acting fire chief effective immediately.
“Oh I'm shocked,” says Kingsville resident Nicholas Ingratta.
Santos says the interim appointment keeps with the towns’ emergency service protocol to ensure the community is protected.
“The next little while, as difficult as it may be, we are going to focus on services for our residents and make sure community is safe,” says Santos.
