LAKEPORT— On Tuesday, Lakeport Police Department officers arrested a 37-year-old Lakeport man they suspected was in possession of child pornography. The man had been under investigation by local law enforcement since summertime according to an account released by the department Thursday.
According to the LPD, On July 4 2018, officers received information that Justin Daniel Sylva, 37, of Lakeport was in possession of child pornography. The investigation was turned over to the department’s Detective Division for investigation. Detective Dale Stoebe developed probable cause to believe Sylva was in possession of the pornography at his home and obtained a search warrant from a Lake County Superior Court Judge to conduct a search.
Stoebe and other LPD Officers recovered digital evidence and devices believed to be connected to the possession of child pornography. Silva was not home at the time.
On July 5, 2018, LPD Officers located Silva in Lakeport and searched him and his car which led to the recovery of additional evidence. Silva admitted to the possession of child pornography.
Due to the fact that extensive further investigation was needed before presenting a case to the District Attorney for review, Sylva was not arrested at the time, department officials noted.
Stoebe obtained an additional warrant for forensic examination of the items of evidence seized. The evidence and search warrant were turned over to the Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force (NCCCTF) for examination.
On January 16, 2019 Detective Stoebe received the report of findings from the NCCCTF which revealed Sylva was in possession of over 100 digital images consistent with child exploitation.
The findings of the investigation were presented to the Lake County District Attorney who filed felony charges against Sylva for possession of matter depicting a person under 18 engaging in or simulating sexual conduct. A felony arrest warrant was signed by a Lake County Superior Court Judge.
On Jan. 18, LPD Officers began conducting surveillance to locate and arrest Sylva. On Thursday, officers located Sylva and placed him under arrest. He was taken to and booked into the Lake County Correctional Facility.
