LAPD Officer Charged For Allegedly Groping Corpse

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles police officer who allegedly touched a dead woman's breast while he was on duty in October was charged Thursday with a felony count.

David Rojas, 27, is charged with having sexual contact with human remains without authority, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. An arraignment date has not yet been set.

Rojas was arrested just before noon Thursday by Los Angeles police and released on $20,000 bond shortly after 5 p.m., according to jail records.

Rojas, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department's downtown- area Central Division, was assigned to home after a review of his camera recording of the alleged act, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Body camera footage captured the officer and his partner responding to a report of a possible dead woman in a residence on Oct. 20. Rojas allegedly touched the woman's breast while he was alone in the room, according to the District Attorney's Office.

The officer allegedly turned off his body-worn camera, which had an automatic buffer on the device that captured the alleged crime, according to the Times, which reported that Rojas was subsequently placed on leave.

"We hope that District Attorney Jackie Lacey charging Mr. Rojas for his vile alleged crime will bring some solace to the deceased woman's family during their time of grieving," Los Angeles Police Protective League Board of Directors said in a statement Thursday. "The Los Angeles Police Protective League will not defend Mr. Rojas during his criminal proceedings, and his alleged behavior is abhorrent and an affront to every law enforcement professional working for the LAPD."

Rojas could face up to three years in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney's Office.

City News Service