Cyber Tip Leads to Arrest for Suspected Possession of Child Porn
By F. Scott Faulkner
Santa Barbara County, CA-
An anonymous “cyber tip” recently led law enforcement officials to arrest Victorino Hernandez-Ramirez on charges of possessing child pornography.
In California, possession of child pornography is defined as knowingly possessing,
controlling, or viewing images of minors engaging in sexual conduct. Those convicted
can face up to three years in state prison and fines up to $10,000, and mandatory
registration as a sex offender.
Apparently that level of jeopardy to one’s freedom failed to deter the behavior of 38-
year-old Santa Maria Hernandez-Ramirez.
According to Santa Maria Police Department spokesman Lt. Daniel Rios, Hernandez-Ramirez had been “purchasing and distributing illicit
material online,” SMPD detectives launched an investigation, which led to the execution
of a search warrant at Hernandez-Ramirez’s residence on October 17.
That search led to the discovery of evidence of Hernandez-Ramirez’s trafficking in prohibited
materials, at which point he was taken into custody and transported to the Santa Barbara County
Jail, where he was charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, selling and distributing
such material, and sending harmful or obscene content with the intent to seduce a minor.
He remains in custody with his bail set at $200,000.
