A Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy is on unpaid leave after he was arrested on Nov. 6 on suspicion of distributing child pornography after an investigation by the Montclair Police Department, authorities said.
The deputy was identified as Richard Anthony Rodriguez, 42. Rodriguez was arrested in Menifee and booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Central Detention Center in San Bernardino after a search warrant was executed at his home. He was released on bail the following day.
The arrest, made by Montclair Police in conjunction with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, came after a cyber-tip was received, Montclair Police said in a Tuesday statement.
The tip came from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and was given to the Montclair Police Department in September, regarding the reported distribution of child pornography in Montclair in June.
“The deputy in question is a Riverside County Sheriff’s Office employee and is currently on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation being conducted by the Montclair Police Department,” Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez said in an email.
Rodriguez was assigned to the Sheriff’s Southwest Sheriff’s Station in Murrieta, according to Brito-Gonzalez.
It wasn’t immediately known if Rodriguez is represented by an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
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