A deputy with the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office was taken into custody in Alabama last week on charges of enticing a minor, authorities said.
Osiel Mendoza Guevara, 20, was arrested Jan. 23 in Jefferson County by officers with the Pleasant Grove Police Department, Chief Danny Reid told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Reid said Guevara met the victim through the online game Roblox. He said the department contacted the FBI, which agreed to investigate because the incident occurred online and crossed state lines.
“We’re asking everyone, please be aware of what online platforms their children are on,” Reid said. “Even something that seems very harmless can in fact lead to something quite dangerous.”
Guevara, who was promoted to deputy sheriff in August, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Jan. 24, according to online records. He was released that day on a $15,000 bond and is facing a felony charge of enticing a child for immoral purposes.
Reid said phones were seized and other physical and electronic evidence was being examined. Police are not releasing any other information about the investigation at this time because of the victim’s age and the nature of the alleged crime, he added.
Guevara’s work for the sheriff’s office was his only law enforcement experience in Georgia, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council records. He started working for the sheriff’s office as a jailer in November 2021 and graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Training Course at Georgia Piedmont Technical College in July, records state.
The Rockdale sheriff’s office said it was aware of Guevara’s arrest and was conducting an internal investigation.
“The arresting jurisdiction has provided minimal information, as they are still investigating,” the sheriff’s office added.
— Data specialist Jennifer Peebles contributed to this article.
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