Officer accused of fondling dead woman turned off bodycam: Police

LOS ANGELES, California -- A Los Angeles Police Department officer has been arrested after body camera footage allegedly caught him fondling a female corpse, authorities said.

Officer David Rojas, a four-year veteran of the department, was arrested by internal affairs investigators Thursday morning. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office filed charges of "sexual contact with remains known to be human," according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Rojas, who worked with LAPD's Central Division, had gone with a partner to a death investigation at a home on Nov. 11. At one point during the investigation, the officer's partner had left the room.

Sources say the officer turned off the recording on his body camera and then lifted the sheet off the woman's body and allegedly began feeling her nipples and fondling her breasts.

ORIGINAL STORY: LAPD officer on leave after allegedly seen on camera fondling woman's corpse, sources say

The union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers is apologizing to the family of a deceased woman whose body was allegedly groped by an officer assigned to her case.

He later turned the body camera recording back on. But the cameras used by the department have a video buffering that saves footage going back for two minutes prior to the recording function being activated.

A detective who was later reviewing bodycam video for the investigation saw the fondling on video and reported him.

The officer was pulled from the field and assigned to home duty after this incident came to light, according to LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein.

In a statement, Chief Michel Moore called the incident "extremely disturbing," adding that it does not represent the values of the department.

Rojas' bail has been set at $20,000 with a court date pending.