By Joel Currier
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — A former St. Louis Fire Department recruit lured a 12-year-old girl to go with him by telling her he she could trust him because he was a firefighter, then sexually abused her, authorities say.
Mark Bush, 38, of the 6700 block of Chamberlain Avenue in University City, was charged Wednesday with child molestation, supplying liquor to a minor and two counts each of statutory rape and statutory sodomy.
Bush was a city fire recruit in May 2013 when he allegedly picked up a then-12-year-old girl, telling her she should could trust him and to get into his car because he was a firefighter, police say in charges.
Bush then gave the girl liquor, took her to a motel in the 4500 block of Natural Bridge Avenue and sexually abused her, charges say.
Bush was not in custody Wednesday. Bail in the case was set at $300,000 cash-only.
Capt. Gregg Favre of the St. Louis Fire Department said Bush was terminated in May 2013.
“Early in his training, he was removed from the initial hiring processes because of egregious personal character and background issues that did not meet the rigorous standards of our profession,” Favre said in a statement. “It is important to note that this individual was never a firefighter with the St. Louis Fire Department and is in no way affiliated with our organization.”
His criminal history includes a 2015 felony conviction of promoting prostitution in St. Louis County.
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