Sonora, CA – After an investigation involving law enforcement from several jurisdictions, a Columbia man was arrested for possession and sending/selling Child Sexual Abuse Material of minors online.
The case dates back four years, when Tuolumne County Sheriff’s officials (TCSO) were first assigned the case after it was believed the suspect, 29-year-old Nicholas Valenta, was living in the county. At the time, TCSO had received a Cybertip from Discord Inc., an online instant messaging app, regarding Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) put up on the site. After a detective contacted Valenta via phone, it was learned he did not live in the county but in the Bay Area, and the case was sent to the San Jose-area ICAC Task Force instead.
Four years passed, and in February of 2020, another Cybertip containing CSAM came to the sheriff’s detective from Kik, another instant messaging app. Then, in November of that year, they got another, with a sheriff’s detective determining Valenta as the suspect in this case. Detectives began reviewing the 2020 case and discovered an additional 14 Cybertips from Discord Inc.
“TCSO detectives were able to tie Valenta to all 15 of those Cybertips as well, making a total of 17 Cybertips where Valenta was the suspect of sending and receiving CSAM over nearly a 6-year period,” revealed sheriff’s officials.
It was also determined that Valenta was living in the county after detectives set up surveillance of his movements and located his actual residence. Last Thursday, February 5, 2026, Valenta was handcuffed for possession and distribution of CSAM. Sheriff’s officials disclosed, “11 search warrants have been issued in this case to date, and more will be issued as the investigation continues. A total of 739 CSAM images have been located in online accounts operated by Valenta.”
