Ex-deputy nabbed in child-porn case

A former Cache County sheriff's deputy has been arrested on a warrant tied to a child pornography investigation.

The Utah Attorney General's Office confirmed Sunday that Steve Romero, 27, was arrested by Las Vegas Metro Police on a fugitive warrant from 1st District Court in Logan charging him with sexual exploitation of a minor. He is currently being held without bail in the Clark County Jail pending a court appearance to deal with the issue of extradition, Las Vegas jail records state.

"We were very concerned about making a successful arrest when we learned that Romero's residence in Las Vegas had surveillance devices installed," said Ken Wallentine, the chief of law enforcement for the Utah Attorney General's Office. "The Las Vegas officers dedicated the necessary time to their own surveillance that allowed an arrest without incident."

A search warrant made public in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City last month said investigators from the Utah Attorney General's Office Internet Crimes Against Children task force began investigating Romero when 19 known video files of child pornography were downloaded from a file-sharing program.

On Jan. 19, ICAC agents said they questioned Romero, whom Cache County Sheriff's officials said at one time worked in their jail. He is no longer employed with the sheriff's office, authorities said.

In the warrant, ICAC agent Zachary Snow said that Romero acknowledged downloading videos that showed "little kids," but said he deleted them immediately after viewing them once he realized what it was. His computer was seized for forensic analysis.

— Ben Winslow