Metro Police: Officer said he had ‘personal struggle’ with interest in child porn

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016 | 12:53 p.m.

A Metro Police officer accused of possessing and distributing child pornography told a detective he was having a “personal struggle” with an interest in child porn, according to an arrest report.

While searching through a peer-to-peer computer network later associated to two IP addresses used by the officer, Ruben Delgadillo, 24, Metro investigators found more than two dozen files of videos that included children as young as toddlers being sexually assaulted by men, the arrest report said.

Delgadillo was booked Friday at the Clark County Detention Center on one count each of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography, jail logs show.

He was being held on a $100,000 bail.

An investigation began in late July, and a warrant was served Friday at Delgadillo’s home, police said.

Delgadillo said he watched child pornography as a child in school but denied ever downloading it, police said.

He later told a detective he was conflicted about his interest for child pornography, according to the arrest report. As an officer, he “occasionally felt a lot of guilt because he would see or hear about a real case of child molestation and become concerned with comparing himself to the hands-on sex offenders,” the report said.

Delgadillo, employed by Metro since July 2015, was suspended without pay, police said.