Santa Cruz detectives have arrested 38-year-old Tate Middour on charges of possession, depiction and distributing child pornography, Police Deputy Chief Steven Clark announced Wednesday.
Middour was released on a posted bail bond four hours later and is back out in the community.
According to a release sent to Patch, in November, Santa Cruz Police detectives began working with detectives from the Pleasant Hill police to investigate online videos being distributed that contained child pornography. The collaborative investigation came through mutual associations in the law enforcement cooperative of ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children). Using sophisticated forensic software, detectives were able to track the source of the videos to the suspect.
According to Santa Cruz police, some of Middour's collection of child pornography contained victims already known to law enforcement. Investigators are working to determine if Middour produced any child pornography beyond the files he obtained from other sources. Additionally, investigators are aware that Middour had access to a number of children, and they are working to determine if any are victims, police said.
Investigators determined that Middour was seeking out, downloading and redistributing online child pornography from the computer in his Shaffer Drive home. When investigators served a search warrant, they found the computer was in the process of actively downloading files containing child pornography.
Anyone who has a child that Middour had contact with is encouraged to contact Santa Cruz Police Department detectives at (831) 420-5820.
Individuals may also leave anonymous tips via the police tip line (831) 420-5995 or use Santa Cruz police mobile iPhone and Android Apps.
Investigators are continuing to collect evidence from Middour and may present additional charges at a later date.
This story originated on Santa Cruz Patch.
