Georgia fire chief Dale Lehman Barnard faces child molestation charges

GLENNVILLE, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested the chief of the Glennville Fire Department on child molestation and trespassing charges, authorities said.

Dale Lehman Baard, 66, was booked Jan. 27 into the Tattnall County Jail on one count of criminal trespass, one count of aggravated child molestation and one count of child molestation, the GBI said in a news release.

The investigation began after the Glennville Police Department responded to a 911 call from a minor who alleged Baard entered the child’s home and molested him, the bureau said. Evidence recovered at the home supported the report, officials added.

The Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI’s assistance, and the case remains active. When the investigation is complete, it will be tued over to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attoey’s Office for possible prosecution.

No additional information about Baard’s employment status with the fire department was immediately released.