Sacramento County education employee among 14 arrested in child sexual predator sting

A longtime Sacramento County Office of Education employee, who most recently worked at Sacramento Juvenile Hall, was among 14 people arrested during a child sexual predator law enforcement operation last month involving local, state and federal authorities who posed as minors to talk with suspects online, officials said Thursday.

Operation Summer Sentinel, led by the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office and Yuba County District Attorney’s Office, was conducted over a three-day period with the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Officers from 20 police, sheriff, state and federal agencies convened in a room to talk on social media apps and websites with the men who believed they were speaking with young girls, authorities said.

The suspects and law enforcement officials agreed to meet up, at which point the suspect was arrested, Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry said during a news conference held Thursday in Marysville, recorded and posted online.

“There is nowhere that you can hide — not online, not in our communities,” Curry said. “We will go into darkness, we will find you. We will drag you into the light.”

A 39-year-old Rancho Cordova man was arrested in the operation. He worked with SCOE starting in 2004, in different capacities over the years. In his latest position, the man worked as a “staff support classified position” with special education technician at juvenile hall, said Xanthi Soriano, a SCOE spokeswoman. He has not been charged as of Thursday and has been placed on administrative leave from his job.

He made $16,899 in 2022 with $5,593 in benefits, according to payroll records maintained by Transparent California.

The suspects indicated they were interested in sex, prompting law enforcement officials to see “some of the most disgusting things that you can see and (hear) some of the most disgusting things you can hear,” Clint said.

Yuba County Sheriff Wendell Anderson said the suspects hail from numerous socioeconomic backgrounds. Any place where a victim can access chat features online is a site where a predator can target children, he said.

The law enforcement agencies declined to discuss which social media apps and websites were used to find the suspects during this operation.

The law enforcement agencies that participated in the sting operation were: the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Police Office, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, Citrus Heights Police Department, Marysville Police Department, Wheatland Police Department, Sutter County District Attorney’s Office, Yuba City Police Department, Sutter County Sheriff’s Office, Sutter County Probation, Turlock Police Department, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, California Department of Justice and FBI.

Anderson encouraged parents to monitor their children’s activity online and know which apps and websites they frequented. residents call the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office at 530-749-7770 if they believe their child has been a victim. Those seeking to remain anonymous may call 530-749-5181.

These are the suspects who have been arraigned in Yuba County Superior Court:

▪ Issac Covarrubias, 26, of Sacramento

▪ James Cubbage, 49, of Davis

▪ Joseph Kergel, 40, of Woodland. He pleaded no contest July 24 to arranging to meet with a minor for lewd acts, unlawfully contacting a minor to commit a crime and a misdemeanor of exposing himself to a minor. He is scheduled be sentenced Aug. 19, according to court records.

▪ Kenneth Hill Jr., 30, of Sacramento

▪ Steven Cherms, 61, of Oroville

▪ Ting Thao, 34, of Sacramento. He pleaded no contest July 24 to arranging to meet with a minor for lewd acts, unlawfully contacting a minor to commit a crime, a misdemeanor of exposing himself to a minor and two misdemeanors related to possessing drugs and paraphernalia. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 19.

▪ Timothy Bond, 54, of Yuba City. He pleaded no contest on July 24 to attempted lewd acts, arranging to meet a minor as a registered sex offender, distributing child porn and unlawfully contacting children. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 4.

Two suspects have been charged by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court:

▪ Kenneth Lorenz, 81, of Rio Linda

▪ Kevin Gibson, 58, of Oroville