Oakland fire captain charged in child porn investigation

Oakland Fire Department Capt. Richard Chew, 58, was placed on leave after he was arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography, authorities said. Oakland Fire Department Capt. Richard Chew, 58, was placed on leave after he was arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography, authorities said. Photo: Filipa Ioannou / Photo: Filipa Ioannou / Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Oakland fire captain charged in child porn investigation 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

An Oakland Fire Department captain who blew the whistle on dangerous conditions at a West Oakland halfway house before a fire there killed four people was arrested and charged with possession and distribution of child pornography, officials said Thursday.

Capt. Richard Chew, 58, was arrested and subsequently charged Wednesday following an investigation by the Contra Costa Internet Crimes Against Children task force, according to the county’s sheriff officials.

Investigators served search warrants at Chew’s Lafayette home on Harper Court and on Oakland Fire Department premises, where they found child pornography on his computer and storage devices, authorities said. He is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on $200,000 bail.

Acting Fire Chief Darin White said Chew was placed on administrative leave when the fire department became aware of the investigation. He was arraigned in Contra Costa County Superior Court on Thursday on felony charges of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography.

“I am appalled by the disturbing nature of these charges,” White said in a statement. “If the allegations are true, this criminal behavior violates our community’s standard of decency and breaches the standard of conduct we uphold in the Oakland Fire Department. I appreciate the swift professionalism with which the Contra Costa (County) Sheriff's Department handled this matter.”

Officials did not reveal what prompted the investigation, which began Aug. 19.

City emails made public in March showed Chew was the first firefighter to send an email to superiors that said a halfway house on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland should be shut down due to hazardous conditions. After responding to a medical call at the building, Chew sent his supervisors an email in January noting a nonworking alarm system, a padlocked fire escape door and “open piles of garbage on the third floor.”

Despite his warnings, the building remained opened, and on March 27 a fire started by a candle ripped through the structure, killing four people and displacing 80.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno