Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Division Cyber Crimes Unit detectives arrested Ricardo Talamante, age 32, a security officer employed by APS at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, on 10 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class 2 Felony and Dangerous Crime against Children.
After a two month undercover investigation, detectives found that Talamante had images and videos of child pornography on a laptop computer belonging to him. The videos had children ranging from ages 3-12, boys and girls, being sexually abused by adults. Talamante is an active U.S. military reserve sergeant.
After obtaining a warrant, detectives arrived at Talamante’s residence on October 28, 2016, where it was determined that he was visiting relatives in Blythe, California. Detectives located Ricardo and made contact with him when he re-entered Maricopa County and was taken into custody. Talamante, who lives in Buckeye, Arizona, was arrested and booked into the 4th Avenue Jail in Phoenix.
“Because this suspect worked in a highly sensitive position, he could have become a target for blackmail,” said Sheriff Joe Arpaio. “His arrest removes him as potential security risk.”