Officer pleads not guilty to fondling dead woman’s breasts

Policeman faces up to 3-years in prison if convicted

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KYMA, KSWT, KECY) - A Los Angeles police officer pleaded not guilty Monday to accusations he fondled a dead woman's breasts.

27-year-old David Rojas faces charges of having sexual contact with human remains without authority. He could spend up to three-years in prison if convicted. Rojas is currently out of jail on $20,000 bail.

Investigators say the incident happened while Rojas and his partner responded to a October 2019 report of a dead body. They say Rojas deliberately tried to turn off his body camera when his partner left the room. However, they say, there's a two-minute buffer on the camera, and it captured video of Rojas inappropriately touching the dead woman's breasts.

That video was discovered during a routine random screening of body cam video.

Los Angeles' police union has refused to pay Rojas' legal bills. At the time of his arrest, the Los Angeles Police Protective League issued a statement saying:

“If this allegation is true, then the behavior exhibited by this officer is not only wrong, but extremely disturbing, and does not align with the values we, as police officers, hold dear and these values include respect and reverence for the deceased,” the statement said.

Los Angeles Police Protective League statement