Fresno Police Officer Arrested for Attempted Child Indecency, Sent to Placer County

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Paige McQuay, 56, was taken to the Placer County Jail Friday morning by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

McQuay was arrested by his colleagues on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted indecent assault of a child and communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a criminal offense.

According to authorities, Roseville police arrested McQuay during an undercover operation.

“I understand it was part of an undercover decoy operation, which has become much more common with law enforcement agencies. They were operating out of Roseville, law enforcement, and they were able to communicate with him online,” Fresno County sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said.

Roseville police said in a Facebook post that they arrested 19 people on felony charges as part of Operation “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.”

McQuay’s arrest came just one day after a Texas man was charged earlier this month with sexually exploiting two Kingsburg girls.

Investigators say 49-year-old Thomas Lopez contacted the girls via TikTok between June and July of this year, then moved the communications to the encrypted app ‘Justalk.’

This is another example of why Botti says it’s important to keep a close eye on your child’s phone.

“You really have to build a relationship of trust, know what’s going on in each other’s lives. So that everyone feels comfortable talking,” Botti said.

He adds that the sheriff’s office wants to help parents feel comfortable having such difficult conversations.

They created a checklist for parents called ‘SMART’.

“Our cybercrime against children taskforce, ITAC, has worked with other agencies to develop this model,” Botti said.

Tips like setting up your child’s device, making sure you approve apps and games, and limiting what your child sees on their phone can help.

“Every day that someone has access to a phone and has impulses toward children, there is going to be an opportunity. And we as law enforcement and as parents have to be the gatekeepers that stand in the way,” Botti said.

Instagram on Tuesday introduced a new feature for users under 18, called “teen accounts.”

Botti said this is a step in the right direction and hopes other social sites will follow suit.

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