From David Richie:
A Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District captain has been arrested on suspicion of possessing or exchanging images of children in sexual situations, according to authorities.
Steven Craig Campbell, 51, was arrested at his Fair Oaks home Tuesday night after a three-month child pornography investigation, police said in a press release. He was released from custody on Wednesday after posting bail.
"It is very disappointing and very sad that Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District has to go through this," said Citrus Heights Police Lt. Thomas Chaplin.
Computers and similar electronic equipment were removed from Campbell's Polo Court home and will be subjected to forensic analysis, he said.
Campbell is suspected of sending images depicting "child sexual exploitation" to people in Citrus Heights, Chaplin said.
"These images can come from anywhere," Chaplin said. "Once a child has been captured on the Internet, the image is there for good. It is there for people to continue to exploit that child again and again."
Campbell worked out of Station 108, near Winding Way and Dewey Drive, said Sacramento Metro Deputy Chief Jim Eastman Jr.
Any fire district computer equipment Campbell had access to has been "locked down" and will be made available to Citrus Heights police investigators, Eastman said.
Chaplin and Eastman said that none of the sexually explicit images connected to the Campbell case has been identified as involving local children. There have been no complaints or accusations involving Campbell's work in the field, they said.
His 30-year firefighting career, however, appears to be over. Campbell was placed on administrative leave soon after his arrest, and early Wednesday he retired, Eastman said.
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