Cal Fire employee arrested at Patterson station in child porn case

Yahoo

09-06-2025

A Cal Fire firefighter was arrested Thursday while on duty at a fire station in Patterson following a cybertip that led investigators to suspect he was in possession of child pornography, authorities said.
Joseph Trevor Forney, 41, is facing multiple felony charges after an investigation by the Manteca Police Department's Hi-Tech Crimes and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit uncovered sexually explicit material involving minors — including children under 10 years old.
Detective Matthew Phillips of the Manteca Police Department received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on May 8, according to a news release. Using online forensic tools, Phillips identified Forney as a suspect and obtained both a search warrant and an arrest warrant.
Police said Forney had uploaded, possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material. He was taken into custody June 5 while working at the Cal Fire Del Puerto station in Patterson, where he was assigned as a full-time employee.
According to authorities, Forney has worked for Cal Fire since 2023 and has been stationed in the Patterson, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz areas. He also has a prior criminal history in Idaho and completed parole in 2024. Police emphasized that his past convictions were not related to child sexual exploitation.
Forney was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail and faces the following charges:
Possession/distribution of obscene material depicting a minor
Possession of obscene matter involving a sex act with a minor under 12
Sexual depiction of a minor engaged in sexual conduct
Annoying or molesting a victim under 18.
'Cal Fire demands its employees uphold standards of professional conduct both on and off duty. We are aware of this criminal case and are monitoring it closely. Cal Fire will determine next steps as these investigations progresses,' the agency said in a statement.
'The department urges anyone with information related to this case — or who may know of children who have disclosed being victimized by Joseph Forney — to contact Phillips at [e-mail] or 209-456-8101,' police said. The case reference number is 25-02083.