An ex-Marine suspected of sending and receiving child pornography while in Riverside County was at large Friday, with authorities seeking the public's help finding him.
Eric Stiegelmeyer, 24, is wanted for alleged possession and transmission of child porn. A federal warrant was issued for his arrest earlier this year, according to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback.
The police spokesman said detectives from the Riverside County Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement -- SAFE -- task force are actively searching for the former serviceman.
Railsback said Stiegelmeyer allegedly dropped out of sight immediately after he was discharged from the Marines and the warrant was issued for his arrest.
The suspect allegedly engaged in the distribution of child porn via the internet, according to Railsback, adding that Escondido police are also searching for him.
He was one of a half-dozen individuals in the Riverside metropolitan area who were investigated in 2019 by the SAFE task force. The other parties were arrested and are facing charges, Railsback said.
The others include:
Juan Flores, 25, who was arrested on suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography. Detectives said they received a tip in February 2019 alleging Flores was sharing child porn via Instagram. After his home was searched, more evidence was discovered, authorities said.
Riverside resident Mark Tyler, 59, was arrested on suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography. After a tip was received in April 2019 alleging he shared child pron over the internet, his home was searched where more evidence was found.
Riverside resident Armando Gonzalez, 42, was arrested on suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography. Detectives said they discovered additional evidence of criminal activity at his home.
After a tip came in June 2019, Christopher Rivers, 28, of Riverside, was arrested on suspicion of sharing child pornography via Instagram.
Forty-six-year-old Riverside resident Leonardo Galvan was taken into custody October 2019. He was arrested on suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography. Detectives said he allegedly shared child porn on Facebook.
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Officer Railsback credited cyber tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children with identifying the alleged child porn offenders.
Anyone with information about Stiegelmeyer was urged to contact Riverside police Detective Charlie Olivas at colivas@riversideca.gov.
