Felony child molestation charges against a Lodi fire captain have been dismissed after his purported victim recanted her claims during testimony. Deputies with the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department arrested Fire Captain Michael Tecklenburg, 43, in September following claims made by a teenage girl that he had raped her.
The case surrounds a 15-year-old girl, who is not being identified by News10 because of her status as a minor, who had run away from home two weeks previously. Tecklenburg spearheaded an intensive search for her, enlisting his friends and fellow firefighters to assist.
According to the investigators, the girl contacted her therapist and told him Tecklenburg had repeatedly sexually assaulted her during the past several months. The therapist put the teen in contact with detectives.
In court testimony the girl claimed the notion that she was raped by Tecklenburg was planted by detectives. She said at first she denied it, but became exhausted after hours of questioning and said the sexual assaults had occurred. ..more.. News10
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