School Crossing Guard In Fairfield County CT Nabbed For Child Porn Possession
Darien CT April 15 2020 A 66-year-old Fairfield County school crossing guard was arrested for alleged possession of child pornography following a lengthy investigation.
Daniel Poccia, 66, of Darien, was arrested on Tuesday, April 14, by Darien Police and charged with possession of child pornography, said Darien Police Capt. Jeremiah P. Marron Jr.
The investigation of Poccia, who worked as a school crossing guard for the Town of Darien, began in February after an officer assigned to the Tactical Investigation Unit of Southwestern Connecticut received a tip from the National Center for Missing 7 Exploited Children, indicating that images of suspected child pornography had been downloaded to an IP address located in Darien, said Marron.
Without delay, an investigation was initiated which included obtaining search warrants to obtain more detailed information about the location and ownership of the IP address, he said.
On March 3, investigators received information that the IP address belonged to Poccia who lives on Hollow Tree Ridge Road in Darien, Marron said.
Once officers had a name to match the IP address, they discovered that Poccia was currently employed in a part-time capacity as a crossing guard for the Town of Darien.
Poccia was hired as a crossing guard in August 2019 and last worked on March 11, just prior to Darien Public Schools being temporarily closed, police said.
Over the next week, officers secured a search and seizure warrant for Poccia’s home and on March 31, officers served the warrant during which they seized 20 printed images of child pornography and several electronic items.
He was then fired from his job as a crossing guard.
A search of the electronic items did not turn up any additional child pornography, Marron said.
A warrant was issued for his arrest for the 20 printed photos and Poccia turned himself in to police and posted a $150,000 bond and released.
Poccia is scheduled to appear in court on June 15.
Marron said Poccia has no previous criminal history and passed a pre-employment background check prior to being hired by the Town of Darien.
“At this stage of the investigation, there is no evidence to suggest that Poccia had any inappropriate contact with any minors from Darien or any other area, nor is there any evidence that local minors are depicted in the images,” Marron said.
