POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida physician is facing 11 felony charges after authorities said he uploaded more than 100 files of child sexual abuse material.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Dr. David Rerko following a Thursday morning traffic stop in Pompano Beach.
Rerko, 61, of Lighthouse Point, has been a licensed physician in Florida since 2006 and worked as an anesthesiologist at Broward Health North at the time of his arrest.
He’s also licensed to practice in Mississippi.
5 p.m. report:
According to an arrest report, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off authorities in August that Rerko had uploaded child sexual abuse material to his email account.
Yahoo tipped off the NCMEC to the illicit images and videos, the report states.
Detectives said Rerko emailed himself 122 files of child sexual abuse material and 117 files described as “child erotica.”
Authorities said at the bottom of every email was a signature: “David Rerko, MD.”
They said the photos and videos depicted girls between the ages of 8 and 13.
The report states that following Thursday’s traffic stop in the 1100 block of North Federal Highway, authorities seized Rerko’s iPhone.
“Additional forensics will be completed on several of Rerko’s other devices, which may lead to additional charges,” detectives wrote.
Appearing in court Friday, a Broward judge ordered that Rerko be held on a $110,000 bond.
If he posts bond, the judge ordered Rerko to have no contact with minors, no access to the internet and to surrender his passport.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Broward Health said, “We were dismayed to learn that an anesthesiologist provided to our system by a third-party contractor has been arrested. Upon learning the nature of the charges, we immediately notified his employer that the physician’s privileges were revoked and that he is not permitted on any of our properties.”
“As the investigation continues, we are fully cooperating with Broward Sheriff’s Office and thank our law enforcement partners for their relentless commitment to protecting our community,” the statement concluded.
Rerko remained in the BSO Main Jail as of Friday.