BRIGHTON — Aurora police officer Michael Mangino, charged with sexual exploitation of a child, made his first court appearance today in Adams County District Court.
Mangino, 50, a former D.A.R.E. officer, is accused of having a runaway girl use his phone to photograph herself naked.
Judge Jeffrey Romeo set Mangino’s preliminary hearing for June 14, when the judge will decide whether there is enough evidence against Mangino to go to trial.
Mangino is on leave without pay from the Aurora Police Department, pending the outcome of the case. Defense attorney Doug Jewellasked Romeo to allow Mangino to travel out of state for work, which the judge OK’d.
Prosecutors today tried to ban Mangino from having any contact with children, but the judge said he did not have enough knowledge of the case to warrant that. He did, however, give a protection order for the alleged victim.
According to the arrest affidavit, when Mangino was driving the girl to Children’s Hospital in Aurora for a urine analysis he told her that he had begun taking photographs of all of the people he arrested and that he needed pictures of her naked body.
The girl told police that while they were waiting at the hospital, he urged her to take his password-protected mobile phone into the restroom, where she disrobed and photographed her own face and body.
Police found other video images on Mangino’s phone that showed him having sexual contact with several adult females while wearing his police uniform.
Mangino faces two counts of felony exploitation of a child, one count of felony contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
