A California father was arrested last week after authorities discovered more than 900 images of child sex abuse. In 2018, he was accused of possessing several hundred similar images, but he avoided prosecution due to a computer glitch, according to a law enforcement official.
Ryan Rovito, 34, of Redding, is charged with felony child pornography possession and covert recording after his wife turned over a camera and hard drive she discovered in the guest bathroom to police.
California Man Escapes Accusations Through Glitch
Garnero said, “The software launched with some bugs,” adding that the records division of the police department discovered in December that the previous case had been lost in the department’s internal software.
When filing the current case against Rovito, police discovered the prior case, according to Garnero.
Ryan Rovito failed to respond to multiple requests for comment. Rovito’s attorney, Timothy Prentiss, affirmed his innocence. Prentiss was not familiar with the 2018 allegations.
Police reported that the three-year statute of limitations for the 2018 case had expired when the error was discovered. The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office stated on Thursday that the statute of limitations for this case is ten years.
Thursday, Rovito’s ex-wife who wrote the 2018 report could not be reached for comment. She filed for divorce in April 2019. Victoria Rovito, his wife, stated that if he had been prosecuted in 2018, her family’s life would not have been “upside down and shattered.”
She stated that she was unaware of the prior allegations until police informed her this month, at which point she shared them with the National Guard, where Rovito has served.
Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Hill, director of communications for the California Military Department, confirmed that Rovito is a traditional, part-time member of the California Army National Guard.
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Wife Discovers Husband’s Shocking Crime To Their Daughter
When Victoria and Ryan Rovito met in 2021, Victoria stated that Ryan “would literally do anything for me.” According to her, the couple married in February 2022 and had a daughter seven months later.
Victoria said she was “absolutely shocked” when she discovered a hidden camera in the guest bathroom of their home in Redding, 160 miles north of Sacramento, and was told by authorities that he was allegedly in possession of hundreds of images depicting child sexual abuse on his hard drive.
Victoria turned over the camera and hard drive to police on March 8 “out of concern that Rovito had secretly recorded their young children using the restroom,” according to police.
Following a forensic examination of the devices, authorities discovered hundreds of images and videos depicting sexual abuse. Wednesday, Garnero stated that police are still examining Rovito’s devices.
The police reported that surveillance footage “showed children and adults using the restroom without apparent knowledge that they were being recorded.”
Rovito could spend a year in county jail for the California misdemeanor of unauthorized recording, according to Garnero. However, that scenario is unlikely given Rovito’s lack of criminal record. His court date, according to Garnero, is April 21.
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