Correctional sergeant arrested in child sex abuse materials case in Chowchilla

CHOWCHILLA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A state prison employee is in jail Thursday, accused of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse materials.

39-year-old Ralph Contreras Junior is a sergeant with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

He was arrested Thursday following a search warrant at a home on Muirfield Road near Monarch Road in Chowchilla.

The Madera County Sheriff's Office says it received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Detectives then worked with Homeland Security and the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to make an arrest.

They also seized Contreras Jr.'s electronic devices as the investigation continues.