SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. — Detectives with the Sierra Vista Police Department (SVPD) and special agents with Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) recently made two arrests of local area men for alleged sexual exploitation of a minor as a result of joint investigations.
Caemon Blevins, 23, of Sierra Vista, was arrested July 24, after a two-month bit-torrent investigation. Law enforcement began investigating Blevins after a peer-to-peer connection revealed Blevins was in possession of child sexual abuse material. Several files were transmitted from a computer in the 2900 block of Meadowlark Drive in Sierra Vista. A search warrant was obtained, and evidence of the possession of the files was located on Blevins’ computer during the execution of the search warrant. Blevins was arrested and booked into the Cochise County Jail on four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Carl Mahan, 47, also of Sierra Vista, was arrested Aug. 7 after a month-long investigation into possession of child sexual abuse material. He was arrested at the Sierra Vista Police Department without incident and was booked into the Cochise County Jail on seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The case on Mahan began July 30, when a search warrant was executed in the 1700 block of Brookshire Drive after information from an electronic service provider showed Mahan was in possession of child sexual abuse material on one of his cloud storage accounts. Numerous items of digital media were retrieved as evidence from the residence, and an evaluation of the evidence confirmed Mahan possessed child sexual abuse material.
Southern Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Affiliates is assisting HSI and SVPD with both cases.
An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
These are ongoing investigations. Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact SVPD Detective Thomas Ransford at 520-452-7500.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.