Image Courtesy Meta: Chris Saiz was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
By Jon Johnson
CLIFTON – A man who was entrusted as a beloved public servant through his many years on the volunteer Clifton Fire Department has been arrested for possession of child pornography.
Chris P. Saiz, 55, of Clifton was arrested Sept. 19 after law enforcement received a tip that someone in Saiz’s household had downloaded an image of child pornography. Following an investigation and interrogation, Saiz was arrested and booked into the Greenlee County Jail. He was later formally charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and posted a $15,000 bond. Saiz allegedly admitted to a predilection for pre-pubescent girls and said it stemmed from being molested at about age 12 himself.
The tip came from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC), which, according to its website, is a “national network of 61 coordinated task forces, representing over 5,400 federal, state, and local law enforcement, dedicated to investigating, prosecuting, and developing effective responses to internet crimes against children.”
The image in question was downloaded on June 15, 2022, at 11 p.m. It was flagged by Microsoft Online Operations and then went from ICAC to the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office in January 2023. The head investigator reported beginning work on this case in July 2023.
According to a Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office report, an investigator examined the photograph that had been downloaded and determined it showed nude images of two pre-pubescent girls – one between 6-8 years old and the other between 10-12 years old – both of whom were using implements to penetrate their genital areas.
After initially denying knowledge of the photograph and saying he only looked at normal pornography, Saiz allowed an investigator to look through his cell phone and advised he didn’t use any other electronic devices at his residence off McCormick Canyon Road. The cell phone had an adult pornography page involving bondage and anal sex recently viewed but no child pornography. The phone’s browser history had recently been deleted just a few days prior.
However, the situation turned dire for Saiz when his wife arrived home and advised he liked to use his phone as well as a tablet that he kept under the bathroom sink in “his bathroom” in the hallway.
Under the sink, an investigator found a Microsoft Surface tablet next to a stack of “Playboy” magazines. At that time, Saiz allegedly admitted to searching for “pre-teen” pornography “more than a dozen times” and that he did so for sexual gratification. He also allegedly admitted to downloading the initial picture that brought law enforcement to his door.
Saiz was arrested and booked into jail, and his tablet was seized as evidence and to be searched further. The case report lists 37 items of evidence seized.
According to online court records, Saiz had his initial appearance Sept. 20 and his bond was set at $15,000 on Sept. 27 and was posted the same day.
Related Posts
