‘Cybertips’ lead to arrest of SLO man who had more than 600 child porn images, police say
A San Luis Obispo man was arrested for alleged possession of child sexual abuse material in San Luis Obispo on Thursday.
According to a city news release, 30-year-old San Luis Obispo resident Gavin Joseph Spannbauer was arrested following an investigation by the San Luis Obispo Police Department and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Following an investigation involving 15 separate “cybertips” submitted by electronic service providers like Facebook, Google and Reddit, detectives arrested Spannbauer at his home in the 800 Block of Calle Del Caminos for alleged possession of child pornography, according to the release.
Police said cybertips are generated if someone using certain electronic service providers are found to be uploading videos or images of child pornography. Those tips are then sent to the appropriate jurisdiction for investigation depending on the geolocation of the IP address, according to the release.
Search warrants served at Spannbauer’s residence, business and his vehicles led to the seizure of dozens of electronic devices, according to the release.
Spannbauer was booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of charges of felony possession of child pornography and felony possession of child sexual abuse material in excess of 600 images. As of Wednesday, he no longer appeared to be in custody, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s Who’s in Custody website.
The investigation is ongoing, though detectives do not have reason to believe there are local victims, according to the release.
Individuals with information related to the arrest should contact the San Luis Obispo Police Department at 805-594-8060.