A Cleveland Police officer, identified as Rafael Rodriguez, has been arrested on federal charges for allegedly transporting and possessing child pornography after a routine customs inspection at Miami International Airport uncovered explicit images on his phone, following his arrival from Colombia on Tuesday. Cleveland 19 reported that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer who conducted the secondary inspection escalated the matter to the Office of Homeland Security, leading to Rodriguez's arrest.
According to the federal charging documents, the visuals found on Rodriguez's iPhone included minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, Rodriguez, who has been with the Cleveland Division of Police since December 2001, has most recently served in the Airport Unit, and after learning of his arrest, the Cleveland Police immediately placed him on unpaid leave, this according to a statement obtained by News 5 Cleveland.
WHIO also confirmed the arrest of the Ohio officer, noting that the incident occurred at the Miami International Airport, though it is still unclear how the customs officer initially chose Rodriguez for the more detailed screening process.
Rodriguez is currently facing one count of transportation and two counts of possession of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors, as further detailed in the criminal complaint released shortly after the arrest, a spokesperson from the Cleveland Police Department, whose name has not yet been disclosed, shared information on Rodriguez's employment history with the department, "Rodriguez was hired in 2001 and recently served in the airport unit," the spokesperson revealed to News 5 Cleveland.
