A former detective from the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office has been sentenced to six years in prison for charges related to child sexual abuse material. Robert Strand, 42, pleaded no contest to possessing and manufacturing child sexual exploitation material. The sentence was announced by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
Attorney General Torrez emphasized the impact of these crimes on young victims, stating, "For years, the young victims in these crimes have been haunted by these images of their abuse, which have been shared thousands of times on the internet." He condemned Strand's actions as particularly egregious given his role as a law enforcement officer.
The case against Strand involved significant contributions from Special Agent Mariah Gonzales and Victim Advocate Maria Madrid of the New Mexico Department of Justice. They presented evidence including letters and a video from victims identified with help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) - Child Victim Identification Project.
Judge Christopher G. Perez delivered the sentence in the 13th Judicial District Court. After serving his prison term at the New Mexico Department of Corrections, Strand will undergo five years of supervised probation and be registered as a sex offender for life.
Strand was arrested in 2022 by Special Agents from the New Mexico Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit. The unit discovered thousands of illicit images and videos on his electronic devices. Besides possession, he faced charges for manufacturing visual media depicting child sexual exploitation where children were not participants.
The ICAC Unit is part of a multi-agency task force focused on identifying and apprehending internet-based child predators. It serves as New Mexico's central command for receiving Cyber Tips and Reports from NCMEC.
Individuals with information about suspected child predators are urged to contact law enforcement or report anonymously through NCMEC's CyberTipline at https://www.missingkids.org/cybertipline or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
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