Sex Offender Caught Targeting Teenager In SMC Sting: Police

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Deputies arrested a 36-year-old Ukiah resident and registered sex offender after he sent explicit messages with who he thought was a 13-year-old boy in San Mateo County, police announced Wednesday.

The investigation was launched in April 2026 between the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Police said they used undercover chat investigation techniques specifically designed to identify and catch people targeting minors.

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Deputies said during the operation Christopher G. Purtill, a convicted felon currently on active parole for prior lewd acts with a child, exchanged explicit messages with an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old boy.

On Thursday, detectives said they arrested Purtill near his home and booked him into the Mendocino County Jail for parole violations.

Following the collection of additional evidence, an arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday for further violations in San Mateo County, police said

Purtill remains in custody in Mendocino County pending transfer to San Mateo County to face these new charges, officials said.