Bee Staff:
Rocklin police detectives arrested Tuesday a Grass Valley man on suspicion of a number of charges related to the stalking of a minor and child pornography among other alleged crimes, according to a news release.
Steven Lawrence Elliot, 39, was arrested by Rocklin Police at his Grass Valley home, with the assistance of the Grass Valley Police Department and SWAT team, following a lengthy investigation, the release states.
Elliot was arrested on suspicion of distribution of obscene material, possession or control of child pornography, sending harmful matter to a minor, stalking, sending annoying messages, and identity theft, the release states.
The investigation began when the mother of a minor female notified Rocklin Police of inappropriate text messages being sent to the girl regarding her underwear, the release states. The investigation included the service of eighteen search warrants of Internet providers, cell phone companies, residences, and a work location, Elliot to requests for underwear of young girls via e-mail and text messages, the release states.
Detectives determined that Elliot, posing as a teenage boy, text messaged or e-mailed many girls, teenage and pre-teenage, and solicited pictures of them in their underwear, the release states.
"He would also solicit girls for even just pictures of their panties," according to the release.
Elliot's e-mails and text messages could have gone to people nationwide, the release states.
Elliot may have stalked one family in Rocklin for years and obtained personal information regarding the daughters of the same family from Internet websites such as MySpace or Facebook, the release states.
"The investigation has led to information that shows former Rocklin High School cheerleaders and others, some now 28 years of age, being contacted electronically recently about panty thefts that occurred at their residents while they were still in high school," the release states.
"Elliot also created e-mail accounts using the names of innocent victims and used Internet connections in an attempt to hide his trail," the release states.
The connections were made from locations from Lake of the Pines, Nevada County. Investigators are also looking into the possibility that non-secure wireless connections may have been used, the release states.
A wireless connection used in a house can travel 100 feet or more and into the surrounding community, the release states.
"A hacker can search for non-secure wireless connections using a laptop computer while parked down the street," the release states. "Using this connection the hacker can access the world wide web using someone else's IP address. This makes the tracing of email origins and computer usage somewhat more difficult."
The most recent of e-mail names contained the name "MIKE," the release states, but others such as "GABE" were also used.
Rocklin Police Detectives are asking that any female who has been electronically solicited for these types of pictures to contact them.
Elliot was transported to the Placer County Jail where he is being held on $150,000 bail, the release states.
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