A 23-year-old Elko man was arrested Tuesday on sexual assault and child pornography charges after police served search warrants at five Elko locations and one in Spring Creek.
Brandon K. Evans was booked on $3,045,000 bail for eight counts of lewdness with a child, two counts of sexual assault, possession of visual pornography, luring a child or mentally ill person to engage in sex, and open or gross lewdness.
Also arrested was registered sex offender Jake M. Vega, 46, of Elko on charges of luring a child or mentally ill person to engage in sex, and four counts of open or gross lewdness. His bail was $100,000.
The two are accused of luring a child under the age of 8 to participate in sexual activity, and using digital media to exchange images of a sexual nature, according to the Elko Combined Narcotics Unit.
The arrests follow an investigation that began in February. “We received information from an unrelated case and were able to identify individuals who may have had sexual contact with a minor,” said Sgt. Marc Conley of the narcotics unit, which made the arrests with assistance from Elko Police Department, the Elko County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Also involved were Homeland Security Investigations and the Major Crimes Unit out of Carson City.
Two search warrants were served at businesses where a suspect was employed, but the businesses were not involved in the alleged criminal activity, said Elko County Sheriff Jim Pitts.
The pornography statute under which Evans was arrested applies to “A person who knowingly and willfully has in his or her possession for any purpose any film, photograph or other visual presentation depicting a person under the age of 16 years as the subject of a sexual portrayal or engaging in or simulating, or assisting others to engage in or simulate, sexual conduct.”
Vega has been registered as a sex offender since 1998, and was recently found to be in compliance, according to Elko Police Chief Ben Reed.
“We take these kinds of cases very seriously where we have a juvenile involved and some serious sex crimes being perpetrated by adults,” Reed said.
“This case is pretty complex and still ongoing,” he added. “There’s a lot of digital evidence” that needs to be analyzed.
This is an ongoing investigation, and ECNU anticipates more charges will be filed.
If anyone has additional information regarding this case, they are asked to contact the ECNU Tip Line at 777-DOPE (3673).
