ASU Security Guard Accused Of Having Child Porn: Scottsdale PD

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — An Arizona State University was arrested Tuesday and accused of having child pornography, Scottsdale police said.

The Scottsdale Police Department confirmed to Patch that 53-year-old Jason Ripper was arrested on sexual exploitation of a minor charges. Ripper worked as a security officer at the ASU Art Museum in Tempe.

12 News reported that Ripper was identified through his connections to a user that email provider Yahoo reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A subsequent search of Ripper's home uncovered hundreds of child pornography files, according to the outlet.

Ripper claimed that he downloaded the images to "raise awareness" of child exploitation, according to the police report.

A spokesperson for the university told Patch that the art museum hires its own personnel and the school is not affiliated with Ripper or the investigation.

Spokespersons for the ASU Police Department and the NCMEC did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

Ripper is currently being held on $25,000 bond and is awaiting his first court date on Feb. 2, according to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office records.