PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A registered sex offender in California has been arrested after Port St. Lucie police said he used a cellphone application to prey on a young child in the community.
Eric Pineda, 32, of Murietta in southwestern Riverside County, is facing four felony charges: lewd or lascivious exhibition, promoting sexual performance by a child, lewd or lascivious exhibition using a computer and transmission of material harmful to minor by electronic equipment.
In two days, PSLPD detectives worked to identify Pineda and obtained a warrant for his arrest.
Pineda was taken into custody in California by the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation and is in the process of being extradited to St. Lucie County.
“Distance cannot deter justice, and our commitment to safeguarding our children has no boundaries," police Chief Richard Del Toro said in a post on Facebook. "Our detectives worked swiftly to identify and apprehend this suspect through coordinated efforts with our law enforcement partners in California. The Port St. Lucie Police Department will continue to pursue those who prey on our children.”
