Court reports: KCSO deputies seized devices at fire station, residence of firefighter accused of possessing child porn

Jan. 7—Kern County sheriff's deputies executed search warrants to seize devices from the workplace and residence of a Kern County firefighter, after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a suspect had uploaded child pornography onto the internet, according to KCSO field case reports filed in Kern County Superior Court.

Deputies linked an IP address to the Kern County Fire Department station in Buttonwillow, which suspect Christopher Vega, 35, had used to make videos of himself — the same address used to upload the explicit material onto the internet, the reports said. About 600 images of child porn were recovered throughout the investigation, the reports added.

Furthermore, deputies also determined Vega was the only person working at the time of the uploads, according to the reports.

During the investigation, deputies determined Vega invested roughly $1 million in the stock market, according to the reports. His house was worth $1.2 million, the deputies learned in the reports. They asked for his bail to be set at $2 million, which it later was.

"Based on the fact this is a high-profile case involving Christopher Vega, and the fact Christopher Vega's assets are worth millions of dollars, there is probable cause Christopher Vega is a flight risk who may flee the country," the reports stated.

Detectives said in the reports they traveled to Santa Barbara to execute a search warrant and arrest Vega. When they knocked on his door, his mother answered, the documents said. Officers pulled Vega aside and executed a search warrant to arrest him.

During an interview, deputies told Vega they were conducting a child exploitation investigation, according to the court reports. The firefighter denied any involvement and said he wouldn't speak until after consulting with an attorney, the reports said.

Erica Bain, KCFD spokeswoman, said Vega's rank was a firefighter and he worked at the department for 10 years. He is an employee on leave, she added by email.

An attorney entered a not-guilty plea for Vega during his arraignment. He is due back in court Tuesday for his pre-preliminary hearing.

You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter.