Found Cell Phone Leads To Child-Porn Arrest In North Bay

NORTH BAY, CA – Santa Rosa police arrested a registered sex offender on suspicion of possession or child pornography after obscene material allegedly was found on his lost cell phone, a police sergeant said.

On Dec. 15, a person turned in a cell phone to police because it appeared to contain images of child pornography, Sgt. Terry Anderson said.

A detective confirmed there were images of children on the phone but not all of them were illegal, Anderson said.

Personal information on the phone led to the identity of James Michael Grippe, 64, of Santa Rosa, a registered sex offender who was convicted of possession of child pornography and other sex-related crimes,
according to Anderson.

On Friday, Grippe went to the Santa Rosa Police Department for his annual registration as a convicted sex offender and he was arrested on suspicion of possession of child pornography. Police also searched his house
and found methamphetamine and evidence of drug sales, Anderson said.

Grippe was booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of possession of obscene matter and possession of a controlled substance for sales, Anderson said.

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--Bay City News/Image via Renee Schiavone, Patch