Child Exploitation Suspect Arrested After Multi Agency Investigation
PLACER COUNTY, CA — “On Tuesday, November 4, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, the St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri, and the St. Charles Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a suspect targeting a Placer County child was arrested.
The investigation began in April 2025, Placer County Special Operations Detectives identified Steven Ohrie Williams III, of Missouri, as the suspect. Detectives determined that Williams had been communicating with a child in Placer County for the purpose of obtaining illicit material.
Williams currently awaits extradition to Placer County, where he faces multiple felony charges, including PC 288(c)(1), PC 311.11(a), PC 288.2(a)(2), and PC 288.3(a).
The investigation is ongoing and there may be additional victims. Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is urged to contact us at (530) 886-5375.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office is committed to safeguarding our children and will stop at nothing to identify, locate, and apprehend, individuals involved in crimes against the children within our county and present cases to our partners at the Placer County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧
𝗞𝗶𝗸: Allows anonymous messaging and has been repeatedly linked to grooming and explicit content involving minors. Weak moderation and anonymity make it easy for predators to contact children.
𝗢𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲: Randomly pairs users for video or text chats with strangers. It’s been widely reported as a platform where predators approach minors under the cover of anonymity.
𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁: Popular with teens, but its “disappearing” messages and Snap Map location-sharing features can expose children to risk. Nearby profiles and Bitmoji avatars can reveal clues that predators exploit to target users.
𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗼𝘅: A gaming and social platform with many users under 13. In-game chat functions and user-created content can expose children to grooming or inappropriate interactions.
𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱: Originally designed for gamers, but now includes thousands of private servers, some unmoderated or adult-oriented, where children can be exposed to explicit content or strangers.
𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝘀
𝗬𝘂𝗯𝗼: A “make friends” app that connects users with minimal identity verification.
𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮: and similar random video chat apps that pair users with strangers.
𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 “𝗩𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁” 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘀: Disguised as calculators or utilities (e.g., “Calculator%”) but used to secretly store photos or videos.
✅ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬
• 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 about what apps they use, who they talk to, and how they share content. Make it safe for them to ask questions.
• 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: Disable location sharing and “add by proximity” features. Set messaging options to “friends only.”
• 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘀: Restrict app downloads without approval and review installed apps regularly.
• 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Remind them that nothing online truly disappears — screenshots and shares can happen instantly.
• 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲: Keep devices in shared spaces and set reasonable time limits.
• 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Make sure your child knows to tell you or another trusted adult if someone asks for explicit photos, pressures them to meet, or makes them uncomfortable.
We’re serious about protecting children in Placer County. There are additional educational resources on the Placer County District Attorney’s Office AppSafe page: placer.ca.gov/AppSafe”
