Mentone man arrested in child pornography investigation

REDLANDS, Calif. — A 45-year-old Mentone man has been released on bail following his arrest last week on suspicion of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material, Redlands police announced in a news release Monday.

Joseph Floyd Erickson was taken into custody around 11:30 a.m. June 12 at his residence in the 2200 block of Mentone Boulevard.

Detectives served a search warrant at the home and seized multiple devices containing illicit content. During the search, police found hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, officials said.

According to police, the arrest followed an investigation into the trading of CSAM images on social media platforms.

Erickson was booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and released on bail the following day, jail records show.

The investigation is part of an ongoing regional effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force, which includes agencies from San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact Detective Dale Peters at dpeters@redlandspolice.org or call the Redlands Police Department Investigations Bureau at (909) 798-7659.

Tips and reports of suspicious activity can also be made to Redlands police dispatch at (909) 798-7681, ext. 1, or online at cityofredlands.org/report-crime.