An Arizona dentist previously arrested for allegedly offering money in exchange for sex to an undercover officer posing online as a teenage boy has pleaded not guilty to new charges of child exploitation, according to a story published on December 15 on ABC15 Arizona.
Dr. Logan Edward Cornwell.Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Dr. Logan Edward Cornwell, an employee at Mesa Dental Implants & Dentures in Mesa, AZ, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on December 10 to five counts of child sexual exploitation after child pornography was found on his devices during a search of his Gilbert, AZ, home. The images depicted children without clothes in sexually explicit positions, according to the story.
Cornwell was released from jail on a $200,000 bond and an electronic monitoring requirement. The dentist had been in jail since his rearrest earlier this month. He is scheduled to appear in court in January, according to the story.
The attorney representing Cornwell claimed the dentist was unaware of the explicit images and that they were found on family devices, not his personal phone.
In October, Cornwell, 34, was charged with child sex trafficking and a weapons charge after allegedly soliciting an undercover officer for sex. He reportedly failed to disclose a firearm at the time of his arrest.
Cornwell’s dental license was suspended not long after the first allegations surfaced, according to the news stories. He will remain suspended until his criminal cases are resolved. None of the allegations involve Cornwell's patients.
In October, Cornwell purportedly contacted an undercover police officer online on a hookup app. The officer reportedly told Cornwell that he was a 16-year-old boy. The dentist allegedly offered to meet up with the officer, who he believed was a teen, for sex in exchange for money. Cornwell reportedly said in the messages that he “loved” to “spoil younger guys.”
After they purportedly agreed to meet at the “teen’s” apartment, police followed Cornwell’s vehicle to the apartment complex.
About 30 minutes after Cornwell was seen leaving the apartment complex, officers conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, Cornwell reportedly was asked if he had any weapons, and he denied having any. However, police located a firearm inside the vehicle, as well as more than $16,000 in cash, two cell phones, and condoms.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
