Concord man charged with sexual abuse of child under 13, possession of child porn
Previously the subject of a 2015 Antioch investigation, also arrested by Antioch Police in 2017 for lewd acts upon a child and sexual exploitation of a child
By Ted Asregadoo, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County Distict Attorney
50-year-old Concord resident Patrick Steven Yelton was charged with three counts of forcible sexual abuse of a child under 13 which he allegedly committed in 2015. The charges were filed on March 28, 2022, in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez. Yelton was previously charged on April 15, 2021, with one count of possession of child pornography, and is currently in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility.
In March 2020, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce received information that Yelton was storing images of child pornography in his Google account. Concord Police officers contacted Yelton about the alleged images. Pursuant to a search warrant, Officers seized Yelton’s smartphone and additional photos of child pornography were located on the device. A year later, in February 2021, the ICAC Task Force received another tip that Yelton had pornographic images of children on his Yahoo account which yielded further evidence of unlawful activity.
Yelton was previously the subject of a 2015 Antioch investigation concerning sexual abuse of a child under 13. While reviewing the material in Yelton’s accounts relating to child pornography, evidence was discovered relating to the 2015 investigation. As a result, Yelton has now been charged with the 2015 forcible sexual abuse offenses, in addition to the original child pornography charge.
The investigation was conducted by a multi-agency, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is managed by the San Jose Police Department. In Contra Costa County, detectives and investigators from the Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, San Ramon, Concord and Moraga Police Departments, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, United States Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Contra Costa County Probation Department, and Inspectors from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office participated in the task force.
According to localcrimenews.com Yelton has a history of arrests including by Pleasant Hill Police in 2016 for driving with a license suspended for drunk driving; three times by Antioch Police in 2017 including once for false imprisonment by violence, forcible lewd acts upon a child and sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years, and again in 2017 for inflicting corporal injury on spouse/cohabitant, threats of violence and receiving or concealing stolen property; by Martinez Police also in 2017 for possession of drug paraphernalia; and seven times by Concord Police including twice in 2018, first for possession of a controlled substance and later for battery on a spouse / cohabitant / former spouse and threats of violence
Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about online safety and can visit the website www.kidsmartz.org or the District Attorney’s website for further information.
Case information: People v. Yelton, Dockett Number 01-195896-6
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
