A 13-year veteran with the Bakersfield Police Department was arrested on suspicion of trying to coerce a teenage girl to send him explicit material over Instagram and possessing obscene material depicting a minor, according to authorities.
Marc Lugo, 35, was arrested Monday by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
The investigation began when detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit served a search warrant in Bakersfield based on a tip about a person who was in possession and used obscene material involving an underage girl, authorities announced in a news release on Tuesday.
The tip investigators received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said that an Instagram user had exchanged explicit messages with a 15-year-old girl from South Carolina.
The account was allegedly linked to Lugo, authorities said, and records obtained from Instagram showed that he had encouraged the girl to send him explicit material.
Lugo was booked into jail accused of multiple charges, including contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense; possession of obscene material depicting a minor; and use or possession of obscene sexual material involving a minor.
The Bakersfield district attorney’s office said they have not yet received the case from investigators.
The Bakersfield Police Department said Lugo was placed on administrative leave following the arrest.
“The allegations against Detective Lugo are deeply disturbing and do not reflect the values of our department or the expectations of our community,” the department said in a statement. “We are a department that takes great pride in our professionalism and honorable service to our community. The trust our community places in us remains at the core of who we are – and that has not changed.”
The department said they will cooperate with Kern County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation and have begun an administrative review at the Bakersfield Police Department.
He was released from custody after posting bail on Monday, according to authorities.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at (661) 861-3110.
