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Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau detectives first learned about the suspect when they received a tip via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.com/home indicating a suspect by the name of Manuel Montes had uploaded child pornography to the Internet on two separate occasions from a home in Bellflower. Photo Provided by LASD
By Brian Hews
A Bellflower man has been arrested for allegedly uploading to the internet images of child pornography on at least two occasions, members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed on Sunday.
Manuel Montes, 41, allegedly uploaded child pornography to the Internet on two separate occasions from location in Bellflower. Hews Media Group-Community Newspaper has been told that information from the investigation led to the identification of three female victims between the ages of 10 and 13, whom Montes had allegedly sexually abused.
In a statement to members of the media from law enforcement officials, the investigation began when Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau (SVB), Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) team detectives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated a child sexual exploitation case.
Detectives determined that child pornography was uploaded on a computer “under the control of an individual within a residence in the city of Bellflower.”
“Additional facts were collected and a search warrant for the Bellflower location was obtained and completed on February 11, 2014,” said Sgt. Peter Hahn of the Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit. “The results of the Bellflower warrant service provided evidence that indicated the individual suspected of the crimes involving child pornography was residing at a location in Bassett (an unincorporated community in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County) and a subsequent warrant was immediately obtained and served there,” Hahn continued.
“The evidence seized at the second warrant location provided overwhelming evidence of the suspect’s possession, possible distribution and manufacture of child pornography.
Sgt. Hahn said that Detectives discovered the second warrant service location in the community of Bassett was secured with “trip wires” linked electronically, providing alarm that the location and rooms of the location may have been entered or breached.
During the service of the warrant in Bassett, physical evidence was found and secured and Detectives noted the physical appearance of the warrant location indicated that “an individual had hastily left the location just prior to their entry.”
“A review of all evidence from the second location in Basset linked the suspect directly to the indicated crimes and provided Detectives information leading to the identification of three possible minor female victims who the suspect had sexually abused. The three girls, aged 10-13, are from Los Angeles County and are out of harm’s way,” Sheriff’s officials stated in a press release.
Montes was housed at Norwalk Station jail on $500,000 bail pending arraignment.
The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office for consideration on February 18, 2014, at the Downey Superior Court.
Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau detectives first learned about the suspect when they received a tip via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children http://www.missingkids.com/home indicating a suspect by the name of “Manuel Montes” had uploaded child pornography to the Internet on two separate occasions from a home in Bellflower.
