El Dorado County detectives believe a second unidentified minor may have been victimized by Stefan Schiopu, the 28-year-old Cool resident arrested Oct. 1 on child sexual abuse material charges.
Evidence recovered during search warrants served the same day as Schiopu's arrest led investigators to that conclusion, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said in a statement published by the Mountain Democrat on Sunday, Oct. 11. The Sheriff's Office has not disclosed what that evidence was or identified the potential victim.
Schiopu worked as a paraprofessional aide at a local nonprofit school, where he had direct contact with children and adults with autism. The Sheriff's Office has not publicly identified the school.
How the investigation started
Detectives with the Sheriff's Office High-Tech Crimes Unit (HTCU), affiliated with the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, opened the case after receiving a tip through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC) CyberTipline. The CyberTipline allows electronic service providers to report suspected child exploitation to law enforcement.
Multiple judicially authorized search warrants led detectives to identify Schiopu as the suspect. The Sheriff's Office said detectives moved quickly to make the arrest given Schiopu's access to vulnerable people through his job. Additional search warrants served that same day produced the evidence pointing to a possible second victim.
Charges and custody
Schiopu was booked on multiple felony charges and is being held without bail, according to KCRA. The specific charges have not been publicly disclosed. No arraignment date or court case number has been released.
No additional arrests have been made. The investigation remains ongoing.
The Sheriff's Office reminded the public that an arrest is not a conviction and that Schiopu is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
How to report information
Anyone with information about Schiopu or details that may help investigators is asked to contact Detective Aaron Cuddeback with the HTCU at 530-642-4724.
