Eureka resident Cole Machado, a familiar face in Humboldt County political circles, was arrested Tuesday on child pornography charges, according to a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The release states that the investigation, which resulted from a “report from a concerned citizen,” is ongoing.
In 2007, Machado, 24, ran for a seat on the College of the Redwoods Board of Trustees, and has been active in any number of local political campaigns.
UPDATE: “Images were found during the initial investigation,” said Brenda Godsey of the Sheriff’s Office moments ago. Godsey couldn’t say too much, but she did say that the images found spoke for themselves — that they were not ambiguous, as might be the case with some pornographic images.
“It’s at sort of a critical point in the case, where if we reveal too much information we can jeopardize our witness sources,” Godsey added. “We felt that it was important to get the information out there to assist the investigation.”
Press release follows.
EUREKA – Humboldt County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested a Eureka man Tuesday after finding him in possession of child pornography. Detectives were made aware of the case after receiving a report from a concerned citizen. After an initial investigation and developing additional information, Detectives obtained a search warrant Tuesday for the residence of Cole Jack Machado. Upon serving the warrant at Machado’s Quaker Street residence, Detectives confiscated personal computers, cell phones, and other evidence. The electronics will be analyzed by a computer forensic specialist with the District Attorney’s Office.
Detectives arrested Machado at his residence and booked him into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for possession of child pornography. Machado posted bail and was released. He is scheduled to appear in court August 3, 2010.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about this case should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251.
This article appears in On the Covers.
who’s campaigns did he work on?
I went to school with Cole. He was shunned at at school.
He wasn’t shunned. He was picked on because he was different. As an adult, he was obnoxious and overbearing, but in high school, he had some serious mental issues. I saw him around town recently looking all disheveled. I think maybe he’s having some more mental problems. Not that that excuses what he did, I just think he needs some serious help.
I also remeber him from middle school and high school. He always creeped me out.
Is it much surprise to you then. Just let it go.
So what happened? I want to know his sentence now that I’ve learned so much more about this. I can’t find an article about it, though. It seems like this is the only one around, but I want to know if they’re doing something about it. I want him to stop trying to represent the gay and lesbian movement, because he’s bringing negative stereotypes into the mix and making it that much harder for the local LGBT community.
You speak for many of us, Jules! It’ll be a long, horrible process, but I have faith eventually he will be brought to justice for the possession and what he allowed to happen. I don’t think he perpetrated, but he allowed…
O well I’m seventeen and gay and Cole Machado has been hitting on me since i was 16 and a half. I have a handful of friends who have a very similar story with this guy. I hope he get what he deserves if this case rests I will bring up a new one and have him charged as a pedophile.Count on it. I have enough witnesses where it would be foolish to ignore what we’d be saying. The worst part is he was trying to get involved with some queer youth organization as staff or council.
I love internet pretenders. Awesome. Also, new blog posting lol!
I am so against the police raiding a home, confiscating personal home computers and seeing what a person downloaded. How many times have the cops done this recently? I don’t care what the person downloaded, the computer allows you to download anything with 2 clicks on your mouse. How can this NOT be communism??? This kid is 24, and now his life is ruined forever, because he clicked the wrong thing on his mouse, knowingly or not. I am so against this invasion of privacy. Even though it involves children, it is too easy for anyone to download. Computers should be made, that you CAN’T download pornography, period. The whole problem would be solved. Just because someone clicked their mouse and downloaded junk, does not mean they would ever think of touching a child and acting this out. I’m sick to death of these computer cases, where the cops bust down someones door, confiscate their computers, from their homes, and use it against them. These people are charged with all sorts of felonies and end up labeled a sex offender for life. Ridiculous.
Guilty or not, it seems the media has made sure that he’ll be forever punished by the court of public opinion.
Hey Danno, it sounds like the guy was, you know, MAKING child porn, not just, “oops, guess what I downloaded”