Ex-Navy detective and ECPD cop pleads guilty to child porn charge

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) - A former Navy detective and El Cajon police officer sentenced earlier this year for using excessive force on a detained sailor at Naval Base San Diego pleaded guilty today to a federal count of conspiracy to distribute child sex abuse material.

Prosecutors filed sex crime charges against Jonathan Christopher Laroche, 42, shortly before he was set to report to prison for a 15-month sentence for choking a handcuffed sailor to the point of unconsciousness.

His guilty plea in the excessive force case included an agreement to resign from his position and prohibitions against seeking future employment with law enforcement agencies. He also admitted to lying on his application to the Navy's Criminal Investigations Division by concealing several prior excessive force incidents that led to his resignation from the El Cajon Police Department.  

In the sex crime case, an affidavit authored by a Homeland Security Investigations agent states an email address used by Laroche was identified by law enforcement officials in the Netherlands, who were investigating a darknet email provider that people were utilizing to share child sex abuse material.

One darknet user told Laroche the user ran a business that paid people to share and/or create child sex abuse material, according to the affidavit.   

In ongoing communications with the darknet user, Laroche described sexually abusing a minor victim and his intent to create child sex abuse material with the juvenile, the affidavit states.

These communications occurred between July and October of 2023, according to the affidavit, a time period when Laroche was still employed by the Navy. The excessive force incident occurred in November 2023.   

Laroche also described uploading files that allegedly depicted the sexual abuse of a child, but law enforcement officials said earlier this year that they were ``not in possession of the specific files he uploaded on the darknet,'' the affidavit states. Other evidence cited in the document include records of sex toy and child clothing purchases made by Laroche, which were delivered to his Spring Valley home.

Laroche is slated for sentencing in December.   

The conspiracy count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years. As part of the plea, he will be required to register as a sex offender.