Investigators believe a Colorado school resource officer charged earlier this month with sexual exploitation of a child left more victims over the past 20 years.
Aaron “Jake” Bunch, 47, was arrested on October 8 and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, KCNC reported. At the time of his arrest, he was a school resource sergeant and supervisor with the Aurora Police Department.
The outlet called him a “former” school resource officer in its report, but KKTV said he had been placed on unpaid leave while the department conducts an internal administrative investigation.
An arrest warrant said that Bunch used the messaging app Kik to exchange videos depicting child sexual abuse, KUSA reported. He reportedly sent one such video to a person in the United Kingdom who was already under investigation. The document says that Bunch is suspected of grooming and soliticing minors.
“The allegations against this individual are disturbing and completely contrary to the values and mission of this department,” Aurora Police Chief Matt Chamberlain said at the time of his arrest, according to KCNC. “This person has brought shame and disgrace to the badge and to an honorable profession. Such behavior undermines the trust and legitimacy that our officers work hard to earn every single day.”
The police department also said it had seen no evidence that students ” within Aurora Public Schools, the Cherry Creek School District, or the Aurora Community were impacted or victimized.”
But the FBI said on Wednesday that it believes Bunch “might have sought out minor victims while serving in a position of trust” since he joined the police department as a school resource officer in 2005.
Aurora police declined to say if their initial statement that local students were not involved had changed, referring questions to the FBI, which has set up a link for victims and witnesses to provide information at https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/AaronBunchVictims/.
Bunch paid a $50,000 bond and left jail on October 17. He is due back in court on November 5.
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[Featured image: Aaron “Jake” Bunch/Denver District Attorney’s Office]
