Sex Offender Sentenced To Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

Defendant Franklin Rodriguez, 28 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Dana Simonds to serve 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty in January to the charge of possessing child pornography after having previously been convicted for the sexual assault of a child. Rodriguez was convicted in 2011 in Santa Barbara County for the sexual assault of a child under the age of 14 years old.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “We are very appreciative of the excellent work done by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in tracking and reporting those individuals looking to prey on children in our communities. Their help, and the follow-up conducted by our local law enforcement agencies, resulted in the swift apprehension of this dangerous offender.”

The charge resulted initially from a cyber-tip from the NCMEC who reported to law enforcement the possible downloading and sharing of child pornography by Rodriguez through the Facebook website. Rodriguez was identified through various law enforcement databases and determined to be on parole for a prior sexual assault of a minor. Officers contacted Rodriguez who admitted to possessing the image and providing it to a friend whom he met through a sex offender treatment program. Rodriguez provided his cell phone to officers who confirmed the possession of images and videos of child pornography.

The case was prosecuted by DDA Andrew Lukas of the District Attorney’s Office.  The Santa Rosa Police Department headed the investigation.