Longtime Flagstaff radio broadcaster Dave Zorn was booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility the evening of Thursday, March 27, on a single charge of luring a minor for sexual exploitation, according to the daily jail booking report from the Coconino County Sheriff's Office.
Per information from the case filing on the Arizona Judicial Branch website, bond was set at $100,000.
Zorn, 52, has worked in radio for 34 years, starting at KDJI in Holbrook in 1990. Most recently, he has served as news director for Great Circle Media and launched KAFF News Radio in July 2024. He is well known for his broadcasts of local athletics, including Northern Arizona University (NAU) and local high school games, and has also hosted or co-hosted candidate forums during elections for the Flagstaff mayor and city council.
KAFF News put out a statement on their Facebook page: "As soon as KAFF learned of Dave Zorn鈥檚 arrest, he was immediately placed on administrative leave, and we have disabled his access to our facilities, social media, and our electronic platforms. We do not have further details at this time. The KAFF News team will continue to proactively address the situation as more information becomes available to us."
In a brief聽 with CBS 5 News in 2023, Zorn described himself as a 鈥渙ne-man news department, one-man sports operation.鈥�
Under Arizona state law, the crime of is defined as 鈥渙ffering or soliciting sexual conduct with another person knowing or having reason to know that the other person is a minor.鈥� It is a Class 3 felony, with a of 5 to 15 years in prison. If the minor is under 15 years of age, the offense is considered and becomes a Class 2 felony with a sentence of 10 to 14 years.
The law also specifically states that it is not a defense to prosecution if the minor in question was actually 鈥渁 peace officer posing as a minor.鈥� This provision enables law enforcement to legally conduct sting operations, in which officers pretend to be minors while communicating with suspects. (Earlier this year, the Scottsdale Police Department made in three weeks in one such sting operation, though 75% were for misdemeanor charges only.)
On Friday, March 28, the Flagstaff Police Department declined to provide any additional information about Zorn鈥檚 arrest, citing an ongoing operation.
鈥淎t this time, we are unable to provide further details regarding the recent arrest. This matter is part of an ongoing joint investigation with the Department of Public Safety,鈥� a spokesperson stated Friday in response to questions from the Arizona Daily Sun. 鈥淲e are committed to transparency and will issue a formal news release with additional information as soon as it becomes available, anticipated early next week. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to work on this investigation.鈥�
KAFF Sports posted to its聽 page on Friday afternoon that a high school baseball game scheduled for Saturday would not have a radio broadcast due to 鈥渦nforeseen circumstances.鈥�
Zorn was also a part-time faculty member of the Northern Arizona University School of Communication, where he previously taught the fall 2024 course 鈥淧resentation And Announcing Skills.鈥� On Friday, a listing for Zorn鈥檚 spring 2025 course had been scrubbed from his on the NAU employee directory.
An email to students on Monday morning said that Zorn was no longer teaching the class and would be replaced for the rest of the semester.