MARTINEZ, Calif. – A 21-year-old Martinez man has been arrested on multiple felony charges of committing lewd acts with a child younger than 13, producing child pornography and selling and distributing child sexual abuse material online, according to a statement released Friday by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.
The District Attorney’s Office, which identified as Aaron Kurtis Mikkelsen, placed those charges Thursday, the statement said. Arraignment in Contra Costa County Superior Court took place Friday.
After a multiple-agency investigation, the arrest came Tuesday when the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant in Martinez related to the selling of child pornography on social media, the statement said.
During their search, investigators found evidence that a suspect had sexually abused a child younger than 13, the statement said.
“Investigators located a significant amount of child sexual abuse material on his cell phone and in various social media accounts,” the statement said.
The multi-agency Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, managed by the San Jose Police Department, conducted the investigation, the statement said.
In Contra Costa County, participating detectives and investigators came from Martinez, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Concord and Moraga police departments; the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office; United States Secret Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Contra Costa County Probation Department; and inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, the statement said.
Mikkelsen is in custody of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in lieu of $500,000 bail. Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Kilko is prosecuting the case, the statement said.
The statement has encouraged parents to discuss online safety with their children, recommending parents visit the website www.kidsmartz.org or the District Attorney’s website, http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/6990/Community-Outreach-Engagement.