Pima County Sheriff's deputies arrested a University of Arizona adjunct professor on child porn charges.
According to the department, Peter Cotty is accused of uploading child porn through an electronic service provider. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children passed on cyber tips to PCSD.
According to the department, the images show children engaged in sex acts.
The UA lists Cotty as an adjunct professor and research plant pathologist who works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Here's his UA bio:
Dr. Cotty is internationally recognized for work on aflatoxin contamination. He contributed insights on the population biology and physiology of aflatoxin producing fungi and the management of aflatoxin contamination. An authority on the process of aflatoxin contamination and on the etiology and management of this difficult problem. Works from this lab on the biology, ecology, and evolution of fungi that cause contamination are bases for work by many groups. Dr. Cotty has worked with farmers, gins, elevators, and the cotton, maize, and tree-nut industries for over twenty years. The most prominent innovation has been use of atoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus to limit aflatoxin contamination. Several of these naturally occurring strains of the causal agent of contamination have been registered as biopesticides with the U.S. EPA and are used in the USA to limit contamination of several crops. With his close colleague, Dr. Ranajit Bandyopadhyay at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Dr. Cotty adapted atoxigenic strain biocontrol to use throughout sub-Saharan Africa where these efforts have already led to registration of several atoxigenic strain based biopestides. Equally important has been delineation of fungi with S strain morphotype as contributors of most of the aflatoxin producing potential of fungal communities in several regions with severe contamination; these fungi have previously frequently been overlooked due to distinct appearance. With colleagues and students Cotty has addressed many issues ranging from the functions of fungal hydrolases to influences of agronomic practices on contamination to the genetics of aflatoxin-producing and closely related fungi. Maintaining both fundamental and field-based applied aspects his laboratory has repeatedly challenged and, when necessary, altered previously accepted paradigms. Dr. Cotty received a B.A. in Biology from Boston University, an M.S. in Plant Pathology from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Arizona. Dr. Cotty is a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society and has been recognized by the USDA Secretary's Award for Personal and Profession Excellence, the ARS Technology Transfer Award, the ARS Early Career Scientist award, and twice by the Southern Regional Research Center with its Outstanding Scientist Award. Dr. Cotty has also received the Environmental Technology Award from the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, the Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, the Arizona Cotton Growers Association Industry Appreciation Award, and the Agents of Change Award from the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) of the African Union.
Detectives served a search warrant at Cotty's home. Cotty was booked into Pima County Jail on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The UA released this statement about Cotty:
Peter Cotty is an employee of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, which has offices and labs on campus, but is not part of the university.
He has a courtesy title of adjunct professor, but he's not paid and he doesn't teach class. He has no status as an employee.
We have directed him to not come on campus unless he is instructed otherwise by university officials and to have no contact with anyone at the UA.
