NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City highway patrol officer was indicted on child pornography charges Thursday after he allegedly used his cellphone to text someone a video of a young child being sexually abused, authorities said.
Officer Yavier Julio was charged in Queens state Supreme Court with one count of promoting a sexual performance by a child and three counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child.
Prosecutors say Julio, who is 35, texted a video of a child between 3 and 6 years old engaged in a sex act with an adult to an unnamed person on Nov. 9, 2019. A search warrant turned up two more videos of children being sexually abused, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
“This alleged behavior is wholly unacceptable of anyone - especially a member of law enforcement,” Katz said in a statement.
Julio was released without bail following his arraignment and ordered to return to court on June 4. Police Commissioner Shea said the officer has been suspended without pay.
Julio’s attorney, Peter Brill, said Julio is a dedicated member of the police department and has “no interest” in child pornography. “We hope that once all the facts come out this will be resolved as a misunderstanding,” Brill said.
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