The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is seeking the public’s assistance in an ongoing investigation following the arrest of an area man charges with multiple child and internet sex crimes.
Back in February of 2024, 44-year-old Scott Bartholomew Prange was shopping for a “promise ring” and purchased one for a 15-year-old female juvenile in Rancho Cordova. The jewelry store clerk observed the behavior between Prange and the female juvenile and felt it was suspicious, so he contacted Sacramento County Sheriff’s dispatch about the situation. Prange was quickly detained in the parking lot by RCPD Deputies and members of the Sacramento Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team, according to a press release by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department as the office is reaching out to the local community for possible information.
Prange was a tier-3 sexual offender who was out of compliance with his registration and had a warrant out for his arrest for absconding from parole. A Tier-3 sexual offender is the highest risk category for the most serious sex crimes. Prange had multiple prior arrests for absconding from parole, including fleeing the state, and multiple arrests for being in possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), commonly referred to as Child Pornography.
At the time of his contact by Deputies, Prange had thousands of CSAM videos involving infants, prepubescent children, and pubescent children. Prange was booked into custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he remains ineligible for bail.
During the ongoing follow-up investigation, Detectives learned that Prange, while being a parolee-at-large, additionally produced videos of him sexually abusing a 7-year-old female child out of Placer County. They have also discovered that Prange was in communication with multiple children across California, including Sacramento County, Merced County, Placer County, and San Luis Obispo County. An additional 12-year-old female child victim (who was 11 years old at the time of the incident) was identified out of the state of Georgia.
Prange was charged with numerous sex crimes involving children, including children under 15 years of age and children under 10 years of age, lewd acts and charges associated with child pornography.
Prange is believed to have stayed with numerous families and had access to multiple children in California’s Sacramento, Placer, and Butte County areas. Prange also has ties to Jefferson County in Kentucky, Snohomish County in Washington, and Ingham County in Michigan.
Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in locating any possible victims that Prange may have contacted. If you have any relevant information, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (916) 874-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at (916) 443-HELP(4357), 1-800-AA-CRIME, or **TIPS. Use the “P3 TIPS” app or online at www.sacvalleycrimestoppers.com. Tip information may also be left anonymously at www.sacsheriff.com or by calling (916) 874-TIPS (8477).
This investigation has been a combined effort by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Rancho Cordova Police Department, Sacramento County Probation Department, Citrus Heights Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, Merced Police Department, Morro Bay Police Department, and the ICAC unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force.
The ICAC unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force investigates crimes relating to the sexual exploitation of children throughout Northern California.
