10-05-2025
Ceres police investigations lead to arrests on child sexual exploitation charges
Ceres police investigations into alleged sexual exploitation of minors resulted in two arrests.
According to a news release Friday, police arrested a 27-year-old Bay Area man on multiple charges of sexual offenses against a 16-year-old girl. Christopher Rios of Pittsburg was arrested following a six-month investigation and is facing multiple charges related to sexual exploitation of a minor.
The mother of the teenage girl found suspicious messages on her daughter's social media sites, indicating she had been communicating and perhaps meeting with an adult male, the news release said.
Rios is accused of traveling from the Bay Area to Ceres for sexual acts with the 16-year-old, in exchange for money and vaping pens. The investigation also found evidence of the suspect exchanging sexually explicit photos with the minor, police said.
Ceres police made the arrest in the Bay Area with assistance from Walnut Creek Police Department. Rios was taken to Stanislaus County jail for booking.
The case remains under investigation, but there is no current evidence of additional victims, Ceres police said. Anyone with information about the case or other potential victims may call Ceres police detectives at 209-538-5627.
A second investigation led to the arrest of Victor McDaniel, 18, of Ceres. He faces charges of possession and distribution of material depicting sexual abuse of children.
According to a news release, police received a CyberTip from an online data monitoring system, which tracks potential distribution of child pornography. Detectives began an investigation leading them to a dwelling in the 3600 block of Tamarack Avenue, the news release said.
Investigators served a search warrant and seized digital evidence. McDaniel was arrested and booked into Stanislaus County jail.
Police said there's no evidence local children were exploited in the pornographic material. The case remains under investigation.
Anyone with information may contact Ceres police at 209-538-5730.
