West Sacramento Man Arrested for Alleged Possession of “Hundreds of Gigabytes” of CSAM
CRESCENT CITY, CA — “In August 2025, the Crescent City Police Department (CCPD) received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) through its partnership with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The Cyber Tip had information in regard to someone uploading and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in the Crescent City area.
Following an extensive investigation, CCPD detectives were able to identify Brian Tidwell, age 42 and a resident of West Sacramento, as the suspect in this case who was visiting Crescent City at the time of the Cyber Tip. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Tidwell for violations of California Penal Code Section 311.11, related to the possession of CSAM.
Working in cooperation with the U.S. Marshals Service, CCPD investigators learned Tidwell was in West Sacramento. In collaboration with the West Sacramento Police Department, a search warrant was obtained for Tidwell’s residence.
On September 2, 2025, Crescent City Police Department officers, along with the West Sacramento Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service, executed the search warrant at Tidwell’s residence in Sacramento. Tidwell was taken into custody at the scene without incident.
During the course of the investigation, CCPD investigators obtained a confession from Tidwell. Additionally, hundreds of gigabytes of CSAM and other digital evidence were recovered linking Tidwell to the alleged crimes committed in Crescent City.
Following the search warrant and arrest, the West Sacramento Police Department arrested Tidwell on a separate charge under California Penal Code Section 311.11(c)(1).
As a result of the investigation Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed its intention to formally file charges against Brian Tidwell in connection with the case.”
