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A 20-year-old surgery assistant at a Sun City hospital was arrested at work last week following a grand-jury indictment on charges of possessing child pornography.
Ryan Hazelton was 17 and living with his folks in Chandler when a 2009 Tempe police investigation caught up to him and his family’s home computer.
After admitting to downloading and storing the illegal pictures, police say, Hazelton was booked into jail. He was freed pending charges — which cops submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office a couple of weeks after he turned 18.
The wheels of justice turned slowly, and in November, a grand jury indicted Hazelton, who now lives in Gilbert, on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
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Police went to his workplace, Banner Del E. Webb Memorial hospital in Sun City, at about 3 p.m. last Wednesday.
Hazelton works there as an operating room assistant, according to his Facebook page. His page also states that he’s originally from Hesperia, California, and went to Bashas High School in Chandler after he moved to the Valley.
Candace Hoffman, spokeswoman for the hospital, told us on Friday that Hazelton’s arrest didn’t disrupt any patient services.
UPDATE:
Hoffman called today to let us know that Hazelton has been placed on leave pending an investigation. He’s worked at the hospital since July and “his duties did not involve direct patient care,” she says.
