MIAMI – A Miami firefighter facing federal child pornography charges has been fired.
The Miami Department of Fire-Rescue "elected to immediately terminate" Alexander Rousseau, Lt. Ignatius Carroll said in a statement Wednesday.
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Rousseau's termination comes just hours after Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes ordered him to remain in jail pending trial in federal court.
Otazo-Reyes said the evidence against him is strong.
"The defendant has been placed in a position of trust and abused it," Otazo-Reyes said.
Rousseau is accused of downloading child porn while at work at Miami fire station No. 6.
The investigation began in December 2013, but an FBI agent said on the stand that incidences of child porn being downloaded could be traced back to June.
Prosecutors said they have more than 150 videos containing child porn that could be traced back to the defendant. They also said many of the images involved prepubescent children engaging in sadistic or masochistic conduct.
"We're disappointed in the judge's denial of the bond, but we look forward to (our) day in court," Rousseau's attorney, George Pallas, said.
Rousseau, who once worked at Miami Children's Hospital, has been a Miami firefighter since 2007. His twin brother, Christopher, is also a firefighter.
"The accused chose to leave the hospital to accept a position with another organization in 2007," Miami Children's Hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Caminas said in a statement. "He has not been employed by our organization in seven years. The health and safety of all children is of paramount importance to the hospital and we have in place background screening processes for all employees."