Roger Nelson Kunze, 55, has been charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of a child, all third and fourth-degree felonies. He has yet to enter a plea.
Kunze served as a volunteer firefighter in Gunnison from September 1993 until he officially retired in 2019.
Between March and May of 2024, Kunze “knowingly accessed, with intent to view, viewed, possessed or controlled sexually exploitative material,” according to the Gunnison Police Department arrest affidavit. He is also charged with possessing sexually exploitative material with the intent to “deal in, sell or distribute” it. According to the affidavit, the charges are based on two videos Kunze possessed on multiple accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter. The investigation at this time has not identified any known victims residing in Gunnison County.
Kunze was arrested on Dec. 2, 2024 and held in the Gunnison County Detention Center. He was released on Dec. 4 after posting a $60,000 personal recognizance (PR) bond. A PR bond means the defendant does not actually have to put up any money as long as they appear for future court dates.
In May 2024, the Gunnison Police Department received information from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) data system regarding the sexual exploitation of children. ICAC is a federal agency that monitors a number of internet platforms and reports crimes to state and local police departments around the country. ICAC task forces helped law enforcement agencies — some of which, like Gunnison, do not have the resources to survey the internet — conduct more than 184,000 investigations in 2023 alone.
Gunnison Police Department Detective Chris Danos, who filed the affidavit, stated that ICAC provided him with social media account information, direct messages, tweets and other deleted items from a user linked to Kunze via a phone number.
In June of 2024, Danos and other officers completed a search of Kunze’s residence, person and truck. They seized his cell phone, and a digital camera from his home, and later searched them. The digital camera yielded no evidence of illegal pornography. His phone contained some sexually explicit photos and videos (some accessed on social media platform, Instagram) although it was unclear if those included minors.
Kunze is scheduled for a preliminary demand hearing, which precedes a hearing in which prosecutors must prove that there is probable cause, in Gunnison District Court on Feb. 6.
(Abby Harrison can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or abby@gunnisontimes.com.)
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)
