Thursday morning, the Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) Detective Bureau arrested 20-year-old Santa Maria resident Jesus Alejandro Bautista Lopez on suspicion of the possession and transmission of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Officials say the investigation began when social media platform X Corp. submitted a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after Lopez reportedly used their service to possess and transmit CSAM.
According to officials, this report was forwarded to the SMPD Detective Bureau where they were able to identify Lopez as the suspect.
Police say the suspect’s location was determined and a search warrant was executed Thursday morning leading up to Lopez’s arrest.
Officials say Lopez was found to be in possession of hundreds of CSAM files on his electronic personal devices.
The SMPD says further investigation revealed that Lopez had engaged in sexual acts with his dog, which resulted in an additional charge.
Lopez was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of possession of CSAM, possession of CSAM in excess, and sexual acts with an animal. He is being held on a $100,000 bail.
Anyone with information related to this case or similar incidents is encouraged to contact Detective Ochoa with the Santa Maria Police Department's Special Victims Unit at (805) 928-3781, ext. 2460.
