Fresno police sergeant arrested for attempted sexual assault of a child and extradited to Placer County

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — Patrol Officer Paige McQuay, 56, was taken to the Placer County Jail by the Fresno County Sheriff's Office on Friday morning.

McQuay was arrested by his colleagues on Wednesday for attempted lewd act on a child and communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a crime.

According to authorities, McQuay was arrested by Roseville police during a raid.

“I know it was part of a covert deception operation, which is now far more common among law enforcement agencies. They operated out of Roseville and were able to communicate with him online,” said Tony Botti, spokesman for the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

In a Facebook post, Roseville police said they had arrested 19 felons as part of Operation Gotta Catch 'Em All.

McQuay's arrest came just one day after a Texas man was charged earlier this month with sexually exploiting two Kingsburg girls.

Investigators said 49-year-old Thomas Lopez contacted the girls via TikTok between June and July of this year before moving communications to the encrypted app “Justalk.”

This is another example of why Botti says it's important to keep a close eye on your child's phone.

“You really have to build a relationship of trust and know what's going on in each other's lives so that everyone feels comfortable talking about it,” Botti said.

He adds that the sheriff's office wants to help parents get through these difficult conversations.

They have created a checklist for parents called “SMART”.

“Our Task Force on Internet Crimes Against Children (ITAC) has partnered with other agencies to develop this model,” Botti said.

Tips like setting up your child's device, ensuring apps and games are approved, and limiting what your child sees on their phone can help.

“Every day that someone has access to a phone and has impulses toward children is an opportunity. And we as law enforcement and as parents have to be the gatekeepers that stand in the way of that,” Botti said.

On Tuesday, Instagram introduced a new feature for users under 18 called “Teen Accounts.”

Botti said this is a step in the right direction and hopes other social sites will follow suit.

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