LAPD Officer Accused Of Fondling Deceased Woman's Breasts Pleads Not Guilty

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — An LAPD officer accused of fondling a deceased woman's breasts while on-duty pleaded not guilty Monday to a felony count of sexual contact with human remains.

According to prosecutors, a body-camera worn by 27-year-old David Rojas captured the incident in a downtown Los Angeles residence on October 20, 2019.

The 4-year department veteran was initially placed on leave and later arrested by investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department's Internal Affairs Division.

The allegation against Rojas was brought to the department during the course of an investigation into the fatal overdose of a woman on November 11.

On October 20, Rojas and his partner, both male, responded to a call stating that a body was found inside of a residence.

Upon their arrival, the officers confirmed the unidentified woman was dead and Rojas' partner left to retrieve paperwork from a patrol car, while the Rojas stayed with the deceased inside a room.

It was at that point that Rojas was said to have turned off his bodycam and then "inappropriately touched the woman's body," LAPD officials confirmed.

According to sources, the video showed him fondling the dead woman's breasts. Sources confirmed that even after he deactivated his camera, a two-minute buffer on the device captured the incident.

Rojas turned in the body-worn camera at the end of his shift, as per protocol, where it was stored with thousands of others.

The officer in charge of looking over video from the cameras was said to have picked one of the shelves at random.

Police Chief Michel Moore and the union recently implemented a protocol in which the LAPD could randomly check video footage from body-worn cameras.

Moore said, "This incident is extremely disturbing and does not represent the values of the Los Angeles Police Department."

Rojas remains out of jail on $20,000 bond and is due back in court on Feb. 27.