Former Grove firefighter arrested, accused of child sex crime

A former assistant fire chief in Grove is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl he coached on a travel softball team

40-year-old Rocky DeSilva was released after posting a $75,000 bond.

He was arrested Tuesday and charged in Cherokee Nation District Court with two counts of sexual battery.

According to an arrest affidavit, investigators allege conduct that included child sexual abuse, lewd molestation, obscene use of an electronic device, stalking and violating a protective order.

Authorities say DeSilva sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl during an overnight birthday gathering at his home last summer.

The girl told investigators she awoke while DeSilva was sexually assaulting her, later fell back asleep, and awoke again during another alleged assault.

She told investigators she had been heavily intoxicated and was confused by what was happening.

DeSilva denied the allegations, claiming he only carried her from a bathroom to a couch.

He told investigators the teen initiated sexual contact and that he rejected her advances because she was “too young.”

The teen girl described DeSilva as a father figure who had provided transportation, emotional support and allowed her to spend significant time with his family over several years.

The affidavit also says DeSilva frequently communicated with the teen through text messages and TikTok and used the Life360 location-sharing app to monitor her whereabouts. Investigators said DeSilva admitted there was “more texting than there should have been”.

Authorities further alleged DeSilva violated a protective order filed by the teen’s mother in May by attempting to contact the girl through TikTok.

DeSilva, a 20-year veteran firefighter, resigned from the Grove Fire Department in January.

His attorney denied the allegations in a statement, saying, “We are disappointed in the decision to file charges against him given what we believe to be an overwhelming amount of evidence of his innocence versus the mere accusation.”