INGALLS, Ind. — The former fire chief of a small Madison County town faces federal child exploitation charges.
Brian Cushman, 29, was fired from the Ingalls Fire Department after city officials learned of an incident at his home involving two intoxicated, underage girls. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals earlier this month and charged with child sexual exploitation.
Ingalls police say a relative showed up at Cushman’s house June 9 and found a 17-year-old girl in the driveway and a 14-year-old girl passed out inside. The younger girl was wearing an oxygen mask and there were several used oxygen tanks on the floor nearby.
According to The Pendleton Times-Post, Cushman told the relative that he came home from the fire station and found the girls inside his home. He said the younger girl was unconscious when he arrived and he was trying to revive her with oxygen.
A volunteer firefighter arrived with another oxygen tank and an inhaler and the girl was revived.
Investigators determined Cushman supplied the teens with alcohol and had sex with one of the girls.
Police obtained a search warrant and discovered sexually explicit photos of Cushman and an underage girl on Cushman’s cell phone.
Cushman appeared in federal court last week. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
(Photo by sakhorn38/Thinkstock.)
