Firefighter Pleads Not Guilty to Molestation of Baby-Sitter

An award-winning Long Beach firefighter who allegedly had a sexual relationship with his family’s teenage baby-sitter during the early 1990s pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 30 counts of felony child molestation.

Wayne Anthony Chaney, 41, a public information officer for the Fire Department, sat handcuffed in the courtroom during his arraignment in Long Beach Superior Court. His attorney entered a plea of not guilty on Chaney’s behalf.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Goul said Chaney, a 10-year veteran of the department, sexually assaulted the family baby-sitter from 1990 to 1994, when she was 12 to 16 years old.

Superior Court Judge Elvira S. Austin set bail at $500,000, $1 million lower than the prosecutor requested. Chaney’s attorney argued for no bail, saying that the firefighter had strong ties to the community and no criminal record.

Chaney, a U.S. Air Force sergeant before joining the department in 1990, was named Employee of the Year in 1996. In 1999, he was voted Humanitarian of the Year by the Long Beach branch of the NAACP and a community hero at the city’s public safety summit. He also has been active in community service groups and athletic programs for children.

Although the alleged offenses occurred years ago, Goul said there is no statute of limitations for substantial sexual contact with victims younger than 18.

Acting Fire Chief Wayne Wartenberg said Wednesday that Chaney has been reassigned to administrative duties.