The state trooper accused of sexual misconduct with a stranded motorist he was rescuing now faces a more serious charge of sexual assault of a vulnerable adult, according to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office.
There were no details available from the Sheriffs Office about what evidence led to the new accusation, a class 2 felony.
The trooper with the Arizona Department of Public Safety had originally been accused of unlawful sexual conduct while on duty, a less-serious felony.
The woman was involved in a hit-and-run accident and was stranded near the southern Arizona city of Benson on Nov. 1 when her encounter with the trooper occurred, DPS said.
The Sheriffs Office did not detail how serious the accident was, nor if the woman suffered injuries from it.
The woman told deputies that the trooper who responded to her call for help acted inappropriately with her. The trooper, interviewed by deputies, said he had a physical interaction with the woman he was trying to help, the department said.
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DPS placed the trooper, Aiden Rosebeck, 35, on unpaid administrative leave, spokesperson Bart Graves said.
Rosebeck was booked into the Cochise County jail on a $10,000 bond, the Sheriffs Office said. He had posted bond and was about to be released when deputies rearrested him on the more serious crime.
The department did not detail what prompted the additional accusation of sexual assault involving a vulnerable adult.
State statute defined a vulnerable adult as someone unable to protect themselves because of a physical or mental impairment.
Despite the more serious accusation, a judge gave Rosebeck the same bond amount. He was released after posting it, the Sheriffs Office said.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, in a statement, criticized that decision, calling it a failure of the court.
His statement acknowledged the independent judgment of the court but said that does not diminish our concern regarding the seriousness of these allegations or the decisions made to date.
DPS was notified of Rosebeck's arrest on Nov. 2, Graves said, and had opened up an internal investigation into the incident.
Rosebeck joined DPS in 2020, but DPS declined to identify Rosebecks assignment.
The investigation remained ongoing, the Sheriff's Office said. Anyone with information about the case or similar incidents was asked to call 520-432-9500.
