A Sebastopol man has been arrested on charges of possessing child pornographic material. The arrest of 22-year-old David Gallagher was the culmination of an investigation that started with a tip in October 2024 about the online sexual exploitation of children, the Sonoma Sheriff's Office has announced via social media.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigations Unit (CSI), a Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children task force member, led the painstaking probe into Gallagher's online activities. Detectives pinpointed Gallagher's rural West Sonoma County residence, where the suspect's online activity was traced. On Tuesday, Gallagher was arrested during a traffic stop as part of the ongoing investigation.
Following Gallagher's arrest, a search warrant at his Vulture Vista Lane residence turned up materials that led to his booking into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility. He was later released on a $30,000 bail after booking. While Gallagher's arrest addresses part of the issue, the Sheriff's Office emphasizes the ongoing process of identifying victims found in the recovered content as a critical aspect of these internet investigations.
