Ex-deputy admits to illegally accessing secure computers

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - An ex-Riverside County sheriff's deputy who searched a secure computer network without permission, or a legitimate reason, pleaded guilty today to misdemeanor charges and was immediately sentenced to a year of probation.

Matthew Enrique Estrada, 53, of Blythe on Friday admitted two counts of unlawfully accessing privileged information via government computers. The charges were originally filed as felonies, but under a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, the offenses were reduced to misdemeanors.

During a hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Superior Court Judge John Ryan certified the terms of the agreement and imposed the stipulated sentence, which, along with 12 months' probation, included a requirement that Estrada relinquish his Peace Officer Standards & Training -- POST -- certification, making him ineligible to work as a law enforcement officer anywhere in California.  

According to sheriff's Sgt. Michael Perez, detectives learned on June 24, 2025, that on several occasions, Estrada "accessed confidential'' data without prior authorization or justification.

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

Sufficient evidence was garnered by the sheriff's Special Investigations Bureau in the ensuing months to submit a request for charges from the District Attorney's Office, and prosecutors filed a criminal complaint on May 29, 2026.

Estrada was employed as a deputy sheriff from June 2007 to the fall of 2026. He had been most recently assigned to the Colorado River Station in Blythe.