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ST. GEORGE – Joseph Gonzales, 41, of St. George worked at a telephone store in St. George where he allegedly took liberties with the contents of a customer’s cell phone when she brought it in for service; without her consent, Gonzales transmitted to himself the woman’s personal pornographic images stored on her phone.

Gonzalez was arrested by St. George Police Tuesday morning on charges of felony distribution of pornography.

“St. George city police was contacted by a woman who had taken her cell phone into a local cell phone store for an upgrade,” police Sgt. Sam Despain said. “Gonzales was an employee at this store.”

As Gonzales worked on the cell phone, Despain said, he saw some personal and graphic pictures that were on the woman’s phone.

“Mr. Gonzales then proceeded to send those pictures to himself,” Despain said, “without the permission of the owner of the cell phone.”

The woman then went to the police with her concern, telling them what had taken place at the cell phone store.

“Mr. Gonzales was interviewed and subsequently arrested this morning for distributing that material,” Despain said Tuesday.

Gonzales was charged with one count for each image that he sent to himself, amounting to seven counts of distribution of pornography, all third-degree felonies.

According to booking information published by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Gonzales’ total bail is set at $35,000; he has not yet been released.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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