REDDING, Calif. (NewsNation) — A California father who was arrested last week after authorities said they had discovered more than 900 images of child sex abuse was also accused in 2018 of having “several hundred” similar images — but he evaded prosecution in that instance because of an alleged computer glitch, a law enforcement official said.
Ryan Rovito, 34, was recently arrested for having hundreds of explicit images of children. When he was accused of a similar crime five years ago, authorities say he may have skirted law enforcement, according to multiple reports.
Police say Rovito was confronted by his wife over a camera found in their home that she feared was being used to record their young children.
The videos reviewed by police “showed children and adults using the bathroom who did not appear to know they were being recorded,” the Redding Police Department said.
According to NBC News, his previous wife also contacted police in 2018 over photos she found on Rovito’s computer. NBC reports that case was misplaced during a software update and never made it to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office until November.