San Diego County Sheriff's Department

Former San Diego County Sheriff's deputy pleads guilty to contacting a minor for sex

A former San Diego Sheriff's Sergeant was in court on Wednesday accused of trying to meet someone he thought was a minor for sex

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Former San Diego County Sheriff's Sergeant Luis Rios was scheduled for a preliminary hearing, but ended up reaching a plea deal, pleading guilty to one of three charges.

Rios worked at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for 25 years. He’s accused of trying to meet with minors for sex.

The Sheriff’s Department began investigating Rios after a vigilante group posted a video of him to their YouTube page, showing a member from their group confronting Rios outside a Mission Valley McDonalds.

Rios was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor.

On Wednesday he pleaded guilty to one of the counts, contacting a minor for sex.

Two other counts were dismissed: Attending an arranged meeting for sex with a minor and arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd behavior.

After the deal, Rios was sentenced to one year in prison, a $10,000 fine and up to three years of parole.

“In this particular case, there actually wasn’t a listed minor, this was involving a decoy undercover operation,” Deputy District Attorney, Franciesca Balerio said.

His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 5.

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