Sonora Police Investigation Helped FBI Catch Alleged Online Child Predator

Sonora, CA — Emails to a teen in Sonora aided in tracking down a suspect and put him behind bars.

The investigation began in November of 2016 when the parents of a 14-year-old girl called the Sonora Police Department to report they believed an adult male was sending sexually explicit messages to their daughter via social media.

The officer assigned to the case spent the next several weeks investigating, writing multiple search warrants and reviewing documents. According to the police,  he eventually tracked the IP address to a 48-year-old man named David E. Otto living in Tigard Oregon.  The officer also discovered that Otto was having the same inappropriate internet chats with other teens across the country prompting the officer to notify the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). Agents arrested Otto on January 31st, at his Oregon home. He is on a U.S. Marshals hold for charges relating to the sexual exploitation of a child.