Highlights

A man who identified himself as a detention officer in Maricopa County is accused of trying to set up a sex act with someone he believed to be a teenager, who was actually an undercover officer, according to court documents cited by FOX 10.

A separate FOX 10 report names the accused as Tony Michael Ekiss, a Scottsdale detention officer who was arrested and accused of sexual conduct with a minor. According to that report, Scottsdale Police received a tip on June 12 about alleged crimes Ekiss committed in Surprise, Arizona. Ekiss faces 8 counts including sexual conduct with a minor, sexual exploitation, aggravated luring of a minor, surreptitious photography, child molestation, and furnishing harmful items to minors, per FOX 10. He resigned from the police department following his arrest.

The charges carry significant exposure under Arizona law. Maricopa County's own sentencing guide states that sexual conduct with a minor under age 15 is a class 2 felony punishable by life without release until at least 35 years served.

The case was corroborated by AZFamily, 12News, KTAR, and ABC15, each reporting independently on the arrest. All charges are allegations; no conviction has been entered.

Sources

Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.

  1. Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 30/05/2026 03:06
  2. Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 30/05/2026 03:06

Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 30/05/2026 03:06. Every claim traces to a source.