The girl told investigators the sexual contact began in January 2022. The firefighters, who worked as volunteers in Howe, also worked in Irving, Melissa and Allen.

HOWE, Texas — Three North Texas firefighters were arrested on child sex crime charges after “victimizing” a 16-year-old over the course of several months while she was a junior firefighter in 2022 at the Howe Volunteer Fire Department, an arrest affidavit reveals.

The three firefighters were arrested last week. 

Two were placed on leave from their full-time jobs with the Allen and Irving Fire Departments, spokespeople said. The third resigned from his full-time job with the Melissa Fire Department the day of the arrest, a spokesperson said. 

The girl, who is not identified in redacted documents obtained by WFAA, came forward to police in May 2025 with allegations against multiple members of the department dating back to her time as a junior firefighter in 2022. 

In a statement posted online, Howe Director of Public Safety Jake Sullivan said “there was immediate attention and response” upon learning of the allegations — and that the Howe Police Department asked the Texas Rangers to take over the investigation. 

“We are committed to keeping our community informed as appropriate while adhering to legal and ethical guidelines,” Sullivan wrote. He declined to comment further to WFAA. 

The girl said Howe Firefighter David Perez-Glass, 33, assaulted her more than two dozen times while she was underage between January 2022 and January 2023. She details sexual assaults while the pair were alone at the fire station and in a storage facility in Van Alstyne, according to the arrest documents. 

According to the documents, she “said that Perez-Glass would use force to coerce her” into sex acts and she “consented to the sexual activity due to fear.” 

At one point, she told investigators Perez-Glass thought she might be pregnant and “told her she may need to use a coat hanger to stop the pregnancy.” During another encounter, she said she “was continuously asking Perez-Glass to stop” during the sex act, according to the documents. 

She told investigators Perez-Glass told her “he would kill her if she ever told anyone” and that he likely believed they were in a relationship. 

Investigators said Perez-Glass “admitted to having a consensual sexual relationship” with the girl and “also admitted to knowing that she was younger than 17 years of age at the time.”

Perez-Glass remained in jail Monday on three counts of sexual assault by a child and was unreachable for comment. A spokesperson for the Irving Fire Department said it placed him on leave from his full-time job there once it learned of the arrest. 

According to arrest affidavits, the junior firefighter said she had sex with Dalton McCaslin, also a Howe volunteer firefighter, while she was 16 in his apartment after reaching out to members of the department because she was upset and “wanted to get away from her family.” 

She said she contacted another member of the department and went back to the apartment he shared with McCaslin to watch a movie, then “began having an intimate interaction” with McCaslin, according to the arrest affidavit. 

Investigators said he “admitted to having a consensual sexual relationship” with the girl and admitted that he knew she was younger than 17 years-old at the time, according to the documents. 

Records show McCaslin posted bond Friday on three charges of sexual assault of a child. He didn’t respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Allen Fire Department said it placed him on leave from his full-time job there once it learned of the investigation last week. 

The girl also said she had a sexual encounter with Joshua Ryals, another Howe volunteer firefighter, while she was a junior firefighter with the department, the arrest affidavits said. 

She said he “grabbed her sexually, kissed her and asked her to ‘feel him’ ‘down there,”‘ according to the affidavits. The document said she told investigators Ryals stopped during the incident and said: “You’re sixteen, what am I doing?” 

The affidavit said he “admitted to having a sexual interaction” with the girl while she was at the Howe Fire Station. 

Records show Ryals posted bond Friday on two charges of indecency with a child. He hung up when contacted by a WFAA reporter on Monday. A spokesperson for the Melissa Fire Department said he resigned from his full-time role with that department hours before his arrest Thursday. 

Howe Fire Chief Robert Maniet submitted his resignation on February 12, town leaders said during a March City Council meeting. They did not give the reason why. Maniet did not respond to a request for comment. 

The arrest affidavits said that a witness who was a firefighter at the department while the alleged victim was a junior firefighter told investigators she attempted to complain about Perez-Glass’ “inappropriate sexual advances.” 

She said she was instead reprimanded by “HFD administration” for “jumping the chain of command.” She said she left the department following that meeting, according to the documents.

The junior firefighter said Perez-Glass and other members of the Howe Fire Department had a timer on their phones which kept track of her age and “when she would turn 18.” 

Following her 17th birthday party at the fire station, documents show she said Perez-Glass “apologized for all that he had done to her and stated that he no longer wanted a relationship now that she was of legal age.” 

Records show he was named Howe Firefighter of the Year that same year. 

Contact reporter Cole Sullivan at csullivan@wfaa.comÂ