SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A former San Diego County Sheriff's deputy is formally charged with possession of child pornography.
Fifty-one-year-old Jose Soto wore a suit and face mask in court Tuesday afternoon.
Soto pleaded not guilty to possession of child pornography and possession of an assault weapon.
San Diego Police arrested Soto at his home in Chula Vista last Tuesday after executing a search warrant.
The D.A. wouldn't say what prompted the search warrant.
"It's an open, ongoing investigation and as a result of the investigation, we executed a search warrant that yielded a number of items. From those items, we filed the offenses that we ended up issuing," said deputy district attorney Carder Chan.
The D.A. says the child porn was not found on Soto's personal laptop but says investigators are still going through multiple devices seized from the home.
The sheriff's department released Soto from his part-time job at the South Bay courthouse on the day of his arrest.
Soto began working for the sheriff's department in 1988 as a Detentions and Court Services Deputy.
He retired in 2022, and shortly after, he was hired part-time to work at the courthouse.
"We treat all offenders equally in the eyes of the law it doesn't matter what their history was, what their employment is," said Chan.
Soto is out of jail on a twenty-five thousand dollar bail.
During the arraignment, the D.A. said Soto had recently traveled internationally. He was ordered to surrender his passport and any additional firearms.
Soto left the courthouse without talking to reporters. If convicted, the maximum he faces is four years in prison. He'd also have to register as a sex offender.
His preliminary hearing is set for July 24.
