Riverside Fire Chief facing child enticement charges released on bond

ROTHSCHILD, Wis. (WSAW) - The chief of the Riverside Fire District in Rothschild has been released from the Marathon County Jail after posting a $15,000 cash bond that was set on Thursday afternoon.

Robert Bowen, 52, was arrested Tuesday. He faces one charge of child enticement/sexual contact.

Bowen appeared in Marathon County court Thursday for a probable cause hearing. This is a court proceeding where a judge determines there was probable cause that a crime was committed.

During the hearing, the prosecution detailed the allegations against Bowen. According to the District Attorney’s office, Bowen is accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a person under the age of 18.

The District Attorney’s office asked the judge for a high cash bond based on the severity of the allegations and to ensure Bowen shows up for all other court appearances. Bowen’s attorney argued for a lesser bond amount, saying Bowen has no criminal history and has ties to the community. The judge set the bond at $15,000 cash and scheduled an initial appearance for May 30 where he will be formally charged.

On Wednesday, the Riverside Fire District Board held an emergency, closed-session meeting to discuss the situation with Bowen. Bowen is currently on paid administrative leave.

Ryan VanDeWalle, Rothschild Village Administrator, told NewsChannel 7 that none of the alleged misconduct happened at the fire department.

The 52-year-old has been the fire chief of the Riverside Fire District for nearly six years. Bowen was sworn in as fire chief in June of 2019.

An interim chief has not been named.

VanDeWalle says while nobody is necessarily ‘in charge’ right now, there is still a lot to discuss as this investigation unfolds.

“That’s something that we’ll work with the fire department in the coming days, between myself, the Village of Rothschild, City of Schofield, as it’s a joint fire department. And we’ll be working with Riverside Fire District in figuring that out,” said VanDeWalle.

VanDeWalle hopes the investigation will give them the answers they want. He has been with the Village of Rothschild for two years. VanDeWalle says he is always impressed with the teamwork and collaboration of the communities.

In situations like this, it’s no different.

“Making sure that they have the correct leadership in place, and we’ll figure that out. But that’s something that, you know, it takes all community members, and it takes us leaders to, you know, step up, and make sure that the right thing continues to happen. So, that’s the goal,” said VanDeWalle.

VanDeWalle says they are still looking into when Bowen’s alleged incident happened.