Cyber Tip Handcuffs Sonora Man For Child Porn A Second Time

TCSO booking photo

Sonora, CA – A Sonora man has been arrested for a second time thanks to a national task force.

The Tuolumne County High-Risk Supervision Team conducted a compliance check earlier this month on 54-year-old Michael Pavao at his residence. Sheriff’s spokesperson Nicco Sandelin tells Clarke Broadcasting, “During the check, concerning material was located on Pavao’s electronic devices. The devices were seized, and the Sheriff’s Office Child Crimes Detective was contacted.”

A weeklong investigation turned up several images depicting child pornography on several of those electronic devices. On August 19th, Pavao was called into the county’s probation office where he was subsequently arrested. His new charges include possession of child pornography and violation of probation. Sandelin revealed, “Based on the investigation, it does not appear the victims depicted in the photos were local.”

The tip that resulted in the compliance check on Pavao came via the  Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The same group that tipped off sheriff’s officials bringing about his first arrest for child sex crimes in January 2020, as detailed here.