Walla Walla rural fire chief jailed for trying to have sex with a Tri-Cities girl

KENNEWICK – A fire chief from rural Walla Walla County was arrested Thursday after allegedly driving to the Tri-Cities to have sex with a girl.

Otis A. Garbe, 57, is locked up in the Benton County jail on $100,000 bail.

He is being held on suspicion of attempted second-degree rape of a child, a felony, and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, a misdemeanor.

Garbe is chief of Walla Walla Fire District 6 in Touchet.

According to court documents, detectives with the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children unit started an online undercover investigation of Garbe on July 10.

The task force is based in Richland.

Over the next seven weeks, Garbe used a cellphone to message with the girl. He believed she was underage, documents said.

Garbe allegedly told the girl that he wanted to meet up to have sex, and communicated using very graphic phrases of what they’d do together.

Detectives say he drove from Touchet to their predetermined meeting location in Benton County on Thursday.

Police were waiting to arrest him.

Garbe admitted to officers he was there for the sole purpose of meeting a girl for sex, and that he would have gone through with it if she gave him consent, court documents said.

He had condoms and his work cellphone on him when arrested.

His personal cell and a “secret phone” were later found in his vehicle, documents said.