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By F. Scott Faulkner
August 4, 2024 – Santa Barbara County, Ca.
During the waning days of July, the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) alerted Santa
Maria Police Department investigators via the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children about the possession and transmission of child sexual abuse material via its service.
According to Santa Maria Police Department spokesman Lt. Daniel Rios, that report lead to the
identification of 19-year-old Lompoc resident Jesus Alejandro Bautista Lopez as suspected of
possessing child pornography over the preceding six month period from December 2023 to July
2024.
“Through investigative work, detectives determined the location where the child
pornography was stored and accessed,” leading to the service of a search warrant at
Lopez’s residence. During the search, hundreds of files containing child sexual abuse material
were reportedly found on Lopez’s electronic devices.
Lopez was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail,
where he was charged with possession of “more than 600 images of child sexual abuse, including
at least 10 depicting minors under 12.”
Evidence obtained during the warrant search indicating that Lopez had “engaged in sexual acts
with his dog,” was deemed insufficient for the filing of those charges. As “man’s best friend,” the
putative canine victim remained silent on that allegation.
