FAYETTEVILLE — A former Arkansas Department of Human Services employee has been arrested in connection with possessing child pornography.
Alejandro Hernandez, 30, of Frisco Track Trace in Elkins was arrested Thursday by Fayetteville police in connection with distributing, viewing or possessing child pornography. Hernandez remained at the Washington County Detention Center on Friday in lieu of $350,000 bond.
According to a probable cause affidavit, police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a social media user uploaded child sexual abuse material, depicting a 3- to 5-year-old female being raped by an adult, to their account on June 2, but the name associated with the account was “Juan Gonzalez.”
A subsequent search warrant yielded four more child pornography videos sent from the account, according to the affidavit. Police reported they sent a subpoena to the service provider and learned the account belonged to Hernandez.
Police investigated further and discovered that Hernandez worked for the Department of Human Services in Fayetteville as an investigator within their Division of Children Services and that he had recently moved to Elkins, the affidavit states.
A search warrant was obtained for Hernandez’s residence.
When interviewed, Hernandez admitted to owning and operating the social media account of Juan Gonzalez and he admitted he started the account with the same email from the cyber tip, according to the affidavit. But Hernandez denied he intentionally sought out child pornography.
“He explained he would download or transfer multiple files of pornography from one social media account to his Juan Gonzalez account, to hide them from his wife,” according to the affidavit. Hernandez denied viewing the child sexual abuse material and refused to acknowledge he sent the material to anyone, but openly admitted he saved it to his account, the affidavit states.
Hernandez told officers he works with children, knows the material is illegal and would never purposefully view it, according to the affidavit
Investigators reported searching Hernandez’s electronic devices and finding multiple files of child pornography in the “trash folder” on his cellphone. Hernandez admitted the phone was used to operate the Juan Gonzalez account, according to the affidavit. Hernandez told police that earlier in the week, he had accidentally viewed child pornography on another app, the affidavit states. He told police he panicked, deleted the app and then reinstalled the app to make sure he had deleted the child pornography content, according to the affidavit.
Police said they found at least two videos on the phone of what they believe are prepubescent children being sexually abused by adults.
Hernandez is no longer with the Department of Human Services, according to Gavin Lesnick, the department’s chief of communications.
“The allegations against this individual are reprehensible, and we will fully support the ongoing investigation and prosecution of this crime,” according to a statement from the Department of Human Services. “This kind of evil has no place in our system or society, and it is a direct contradiction of the mission this individual was supposed to uphold. He has been fired.”
