Castroville man arrested for child pornography and sexual acts with a minor
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)—A Castroville man is now in Monterey County jail and is facing charges of possession of child pornography and lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.
Bail for 19-years-old Olidio Antonio Cruz-Pineda is set at $200,000.
In August 2022, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that an induvial from California uploaded pictures to Snapchat the contained child sex abuse.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said that internet connection was identified at 13245 Cielo Azul in Castroville. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office were then assigned to Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Investigators identified Cruz Pineda as the owner of the device that uploaded the pictures.
On January 23, Monterey County Sheriff’s detectives with the Sexual Assault Unit and Property Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at the home.
The Sheriff’s Office said that the 19-years-old was arrested without incident. Further investigation revealed, Cruz-Pineda also sexually assaulted children under 14-years-old.
During the investigation, MCSO said there may be victims that have not been contacted. Victims are believed to have lived in Sand City, Seaside, and Monterey sometime between 2017 – 2020.
Anyone with information about this incident or who may have had inappropriate contact with Cruz-Pineda is encouraged to contact Detective Christian Zarate at 831-755-3809, or Detective Sergeant David Vargas at 831-755-3771.
