PHOENIX — A Phoenix Police Department 9-1-1 dispatcher has been arrested by Scottsdale police, accused of possession and distribution of child pornography.
Court paperwork alleges Daniel Rojas, 20, knowingly used social media apps to collect, solicit, and distribute child pornography videos on several occasions.
The searches were originally flagged and sent to police by Instagram.
At the time of his arrest, Rojas was already on leave from the Phoenix Police Department amid an internal investigation. In that investigation, Rojas allegedly made an inappropriate comment to a coworker about searching for "risque" photos of kids.
Rojas faces five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a class two felony.
Rojas has since been fired from the Phoenix Police Department.
The department released the following statement to ABC15:
"In April of this year, the Phoenix Police Department became aware of potential criminal acts by Daniel Rojas, a Department employee assigned to our Communications Bureau. Internal notifications were made, and a criminal investigation began. In May, Rojas was interviewed as part of the criminal investigation, and placed on administrative leave. In July, the Scottsdale Police Department contacted Phoenix PD to advise that they had an open criminal investigation into Rojas. Last Friday, Scottsdale police arrested and booked Rojas on multiple felony charges. The Phoenix Police Department’s criminal investigation remains open and ongoing. Given the gravity of the allegations, the Phoenix Police Department has terminated Rojas’ employment. The Phoenix Police Department takes these allegations seriously and are committed to a thorough and transparency investigative process."
