Maricopa County Superior Court security officer accused of kissing, groping woman

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - A Maricopa County Superior Court security officer is facing a felony charge after being accused of forcibly kissing and groping a woman while he was working and she was in the Superior Court building nearly a month ago. Fernando Ceniceros, 35, was arrested on Tuesday in Phoenix.

On March 29, a woman arrived for a court appearance around 3:30 p.m. According to court documents, she checked in and met with Ceniceros, who was screening people at the entrance. Court documents say Ceniceros asked the woman if she wanted to walk with him while he did a security walkthrough. The two then went up to the fourth floor down a stairwell with no cameras. Ceniceros asked her about her lip piercings; then, the woman told police Ceniceros kissed her. According to court paperwork, the woman then told police Ceniceros grabbed the bottom of her shirt, pulled it up, and started groping her. She then pushed his hands and walked away. The woman told police the kiss and groping was non-consensual.

Police obtained security footage from the court and arrested Ceniceros at his home in Phoenix. According to court documents, Ceniceros told police the woman asked if he wanted to see if her piercings were sharp, so he took it as an OK to kiss her. Ceniceros then admitted to groping the woman and said he wasn’t sure if she had consented to it, according to court paperwork. He also told police a similar incident in November 2021 occurred with another woman. Ceniceros was booked on one count of sexual abuse.