Former Slater Fire Chief in court on sexual abuse charges

A former Mid-Missouri Fire Chief is set to appear in court in April.

The Saline County Sheriff confirmed the former Slater Fire Chief was arrested in September for child pornography and sexual abuse.

39-year-old Levi Dennis was arrested by Highway Patrol after an investigation revealed evidence to support the charges.

Dennis entered a plea of not guilty to the charges back in December.

The Saline County Sheriff initiated the investigation in May after allegations from a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old.

Of his twenty charges, Dennis faces 14 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, in regards to fourteen photos the Highway Patrol found during a search at Dennis’ home on the 200 block of Broadway Street in June. The probable cause statement said the female victim identified herself in several of the 26 total photographs investigators found at the home.

About twenty volunteers staff the Slater Fire Department, said Dr. Stephen Allegri, the town’s mayor. Dennis, also a volunteer, has served as chief since 2011, and joined the department in 2007. He works full time for the city’s ambulance district as an EMT. Allegri said he was shocked to learn Dennis was arrested on those charges.

“He’d come into my office, talk about fire department business and everything,” Allegri told ABC 17 News. “Seemed always above board and really dedicated to the fire department and to his EMT work and everything. I’m just kind of shocked by all of it.”

Todd Jenkins, a city employee who also volunteers at the fire department, will take over as interim fire chief while Dennis’ case progresses.

The Highway Patrol’s investigation began in April, when they interviewed a female victim who lived with Dennis. She told them he would take photos of her in the shower, and try to molest her while she was in there.

The same victim told investigators she would wake up with her clothes off and Dennis naked on top of her, and at other times he would attempt to rape or sexually assault her.

The victim told police this happened 3-4 times per week for about two years.

In July, Highway Patrol forensic examiners reviewed a CD that contained about 20 pictures of the victim and another girl changing into swimsuits.

Investigators said the pictures looked like they were taken on a hidden camera. They showed these pictures to the older victim, who identified herself in the photos. The victim was between 9-13 years old when the photos were taken.

The victim told police Dennis stopped taking pictures of her and assaulting her after an initial report from the Department of Family Services in 2011.

Many residents in Slater were skeptical of the new charges against Dennis. Many cited the DFS investigation in 2011, wondering why no criminal charges ever came from it.

The Highway Patrol’s probable cause statement mentions the victims reported the abuse in both 2011 and 2013. Online court records do not show any criminal charges against Dennis before the ones filed Friday.

Dennis is charged with 1st degree statutory sodomy, 2 counts of 1st degree attempted statutory sodomy, 14 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of child molestation, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of second degree invasion of privacy. He is in the Saline County Jail, held on a $500,000 cash only bond.