The 49-year-old Travis County corrections officer who was charged with possession of child pornography Friday was caught when had asked for help with his computer, according to an arrest affidavit.
On Aug. 1, Joe Rocha asked another corrections officer to help him fix his computer because his would not start, the arrest affidavit says. He gave the hard drive to the other officer on Aug. 16 and asked him to save all family pictures and pornography that may be on the computer, the affidavit says.
“Mr. Rocha told him ‘OK, there is kiddy porn and if it got out it would be bad. Very bad,” according to the affidavit, but the officer thought Rocha was making a joke.
When the officer decided to work on the computer Aug. 19, he found several files of child pornography that pictured children as young as 7 having sex with adults.
Sheriff’s office spokesman Roger Wade said that Rocha had been employed with the agency for 23 years. He said Rocha has been fired and that an investigation into the charges is under way.
Deputies were informed that Rocha “may have been involved in illegal activities” on Aug. 25, Wade said. Authorities said they found “several images that appeared to depict child pornography on a computer belonging to Rocha.”
Rocha was being held at the Travis County Jail as of Monday with bail set at $100,000. Possession of child pornography is a third-degree felony. If Rocha is convicted, he could face between two and 10 years in prison.
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