***UPDATE*** Just three days after his arrest, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against Michael Cancino of Fresno.
On April 7th, 2015, Fresno County Sheriff’s detectives arrested 44-year-old Cancino.
He was been booked into the Fresno County Jail on multiple felony counts related to solicitation of a minor for sexual acts.
Last week, a concerned citizen notified the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office of suspicious online activity they observed on a public website. Detectives launched an investigation and received assistance from Federal Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and members of the Central California Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) Task Force. They identified Michael Cancino through a website, who ultimately agreed to meet a mother and her 10-year-old daughter for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child.
On April 7th, at about 1:30 pm, Cancino arrived at the meeting spot. Fresno County Sheriff’s detectives and HSI agents were standing by and immediately took him into custody without incident.
Detectives have served a search warrant at Cancino’s home on the 3300 block of N. Millbrook Ave. in Fresno. They collected electronic devices, which is now being examined for other possible criminal behavior.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to be vigilant when it comes to visiting websites and social media outlets. Parents should also monitor their children’s internet usage and be aware of the software apps they are using. Online predators often pretend to be someone else in order to lure their victims in and take advantage of them. Teach children to be wary of the person on the other end of the chat line; many times people are not who they say they are.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency for Central California ICAC. It is comprised of 59 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies spread throughout nine counties in the Central Valley. It is dedicated to protecting children online and investigating crimes committed against children, which are facilitated by the Internet and computer usage. To learn more, please visit the ICAC website at www.centralcaliforniaicac.org
Anyone with information on this case or any similar case is asked to please contact the Sgt. Jeff Kertson at (559) 600-8144 or call Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867).
