Deputy accused of illegally accessing secure computers arraigned

BLYTHE, Calif. (KESQ) - A Riverside County sheriff's deputy accused of searching a secure computer network without permission or a legitimate reason pleaded not guilty to felony charges, court records showed today.  

Matthew Enrique Estrada, 53, of Blythe was arrested in May following a nearly yearlong probe by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Special Investigations Bureau.

Estrada is charged with two counts of unlawfully accessing privileged information via government computers.   

He was arraigned Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Tucker, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Sept. 3 at the Blythe Courthouse.

The defendant, who did not spend any time in custody and is on paid administrative leave, remains free on a $25,000 bond.   

According to sheriff's Sgt. Michael Perez, detectives learned on June 24, 2025, of one or more instances in which Estrada allegedly accessed confidential data without prior authorization or justification.  

There were no details on what he sought to obtain during the alleged activity.

Sufficient evidence was garnered over the ensuing months to submit a request for felony charges from the District Attorney's Office, and prosecutors filed the criminal complaint on May 29.

Estrada has been employed as a deputy sheriff since June 2007. He was most recently assigned to the Colorado River Station.