A Dallas firefighter is on administrative leave after being accused of possession of child pornography, police and fire officials say.
According to the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department, driver engineer Jesse McFall was arrested by the Dallas Police Department on Jan. 17 and charged with possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.
McFall's arrest came after a six-week investigation that began Dec. 6, 2022, when the Dallas Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Squad received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a file uploaded on Oct. 20, 2022, was believed to be child pornography.
A Dallas investigator confirmed the material and opened an investigation that included filing subpoenas and search warrants for subscriber information tied to the file.
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About a week later, investigators received the requested subscriber information that included several files that police said identified McFall through a Dallas Fire-Rescue ID, tax documents, insurance paperwork and selfie photos. The information also identified a woman whose name has not been included in this report because she has not been charged with a crime.
The contents also included multiple photos of child pornography, police said, and multiple photos of a man, believed to be McFall, along with photos of a woman. Police compared driver's license photos to those found in the phone's data and they were believed to be a match for McFall and the woman.
McFall has been with Dallas Fire-Rescue since October 2011 and has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. If convicted, McFall faces a fine of up to $10,000 and between two and 10 years in prison. It's not immediately clear if McFall has obtained an attorney.