A deputy county attorney in southern Arizona has been fired over charges that he filmed a juvenile girl inside a store.
Paul Correa was Chief Civil Deputy County Attorney for the Cochise County Attorney’s Office.
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Body camera footage from the Sierra Vista Police Department on December 17, acquired by Cool FM Live, shows an officer confronting Correa after a father claims the man filmed his 12-year-old daughter at a Target store.
Correa was subsequently observed in his car watching the video, his clothes “disheveled,” according to the police report.
Correa refuted what the father told the police.
“He thinks that I was in the store recording his daughter with my phone,” he said. “That’s not true, that’s absolutely not true. I was here buying gifts for a holiday party. What would make them think that you are recording things? That I had my phone out. Maybe? I don’t know. I don’t know what he thinks.”
Lori Zucco, Cochise County Attorney, fired Correa last month following a meeting with investigators.
“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing, particularly for an officer of the court and public employee entrusted with the public’s confidence,” Zucco said. “As a career prosecutor for more than 20 years, I have zero tolerance for alleged conduct that so fundamentally violates the standards of this office. While Mr. Correa is entitled to due process in the criminal justice system, he can no longer serve in any capacity in my office.”
The La Paz County Attorney’s Office has charged him with harassment based on sexual motivation, public sexual immorality, and tampering with evidence.
He is due back in court next month.
This is an ongoing criminal inquiry.
