- Roy Fire Chief Theron Williams issued a statement defending the fire department and distancing it from a former firefighter facing criminal charges.
- Ryan Rampton, 58, is charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sodomy on a child.
- He has resigned his post with the Roy Fire Department and is being held in jail.
ROY — In the wake of the arrest of a Roy firefighter for the alleged sexual abuse of a child, Roy Fire Chief Theron Williams is offering an impassioned defense of the department and distancing it from the suspect.
Ryan Rampton, 58, of Syracuse, is charged in 2nd District Court in Farmington with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sodomy on a child, first-degree felonies.
"We ask the public and media to recognize that this isolated incident does not define our department or its mission. The conduct and allegations in question are deeply troubling and wholly inconsistent with our standards," Williams said in a statement Wednesday.
Rampton resigned effective Oct. 24 from the department, Williams said, but his arrest has had ripple effects in Roy. Prosecutors filed charges against Rampton on Oct. 10 stemming from alleged abuse of a young child between 2013 and 2017 in Syracuse. He is being held without bail in the Davis County Jail.
The victim initially came forward to authorities in 2017, but was uncomfortable discussing the matter with the male detective assigned to the case. It remained "in the investigatory phase" until it was reopened last March, when the victim again stepped forward to speak out, according to charging documents.
The victim was worried about Hampton victimizing others, noting that he "has a photo studio at his residence where he does photoshoots for young girls where they change into princess costumes and are photographed," the charges state.
"Firefighters are held to a strict moral code and are expected to act with honesty, fairness and transparency both on and off duty," Williams said. "Those who fall short of these values do not deserve to stand among the great ones who have earned the public's trust through their actions and integrity. This situation has profoundly affected not only our department but also the trust and confidence of our city and community."
Rampton started working for the Roy Fire Department in 2023, also serving as a paramedic, and previously worked as a firefighter for the North Davis Fire District, based in West Point, according to an online database of public employees in Utah managed by the state. The records also show he worked as a firefighter in Riverdale and as an emergency medical technician in Morgan County.
"We had no prior knowledge of these allegations until we were notified by outside authorities of the investigation. Upon learning of the matter, the city acted swiftly and placed the employee on administrative leave," the chief said.
