Fresno police sergeant arrested for attempted lewd act on child sent to Placer County

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- 56-year-old Fresno Police Patrol Sergeant Paige McQuay was taken to the Placer County jail Friday morning by the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

McQuay was arrested by his fellow officers Wednesday on charges of attempted lewd act on a child and communication with a minor intending to commit an unlawful offense.

Authorities said the Roseville Police Department caught McQuay during a sting.

"I know that it was part of an undercover decoy operation, which has become a lot more commonplace in law-enforcement agencies. They were operating out of Roseville, law-enforcement, and they were able to communicate with him online," said Fresno County Sheriff's Spokesman Tony Botti.

In a Facebook Post, Roseville Police said they made 19 felony arrests as part of that operation called 'Gotta Catch 'Em All.'

McQuay's arrest came just one day after a Texas man was indicted for the sexual exploitation of two girls from Kingsburg earlier this month.

Investigators said between June and July of this year, 49-year-old Thomas Lopez contacted the girls through TikTok before moving communication to the encrypted app called 'Justalk.'

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

"You really have to build a trusting relationship, know what's going on in each other's lives. So, that everyone feels comfortable talking," said Botti.

He adds that the sheriff's office wants to help parents feel comfortable with having those hard conversations.

They created a checklist for parents called 'SMART.'

"Our internet crimes against children task force or ITAC, they've partnered with other agencies to come up with this model," said Botti.

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

"Every day that goes on that somebody has access to a phone, and they have impulses towards children, there's going to be an opportunity. And we as law-enforcement and as parents need to be the gatekeeper that stand in the way," said Botti.

On Tuesday, Instagram introduced a new feature for users under the age of 18 called "teen accounts".

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

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