CLEVELAND COUNTY, Okla. – Officials in Cleveland County say two men are facing child pornography charges following an investigation.
Authorities with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office say it all started with a tip from a concerned resident, who said they saw pictures of a child in a lewd pose on an electronic device owned by 44-year-old Adam Roberts.
“Tips from the public are invaluable for jumpstarting some of these investigations,” Cleveland County Sheriff Todd Gibson said. “We have some dedicated investigators, but we can’t do it without your help. If you see something, say something. Without our partnership with the public, we would not have the tremendous success we’ve experienced recently in getting predators off the street.”
During the investigation, detectives learned that 39-year-old Hector Mercado allegedly had many of the same images on his social media account. Officials learned the photos were of a juvenile in Cleveland County.
“These types of investigations are methodical and time-consuming because they involve multiple search warrants and a lot of shifting through media,” Sandburg said. “Fortunately, at least in this case, it was worth the work as our investigation resulted in charges and the apprehension of suspected child predators.”
Officers arrested Mercado and Roberts on complaints of possession of child pornography.
“Children are our greatest asset, and their protection is a top priority of this office,” Gibson said.
