CSA in the USA > Hawaii man gets 20 years for continuous CSA; Colorado Deputy on the run after CSAM investigation; Delta co-pilot arrested at SFO for CSAM

 

Oahu man sentenced to 20 years in prison for

child sex assault

HONOLULU (Island News) -- A man who was convicted for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old child was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Oahu First Circuit Court.

Jose Salas was sentenced to 20 years on Thursday, July 31, 2025. He was sentenced for continuous sexual assault of a minor under the age of 14 (Class A felony) and four counts of third-degree sexual assault (Class C felonies).

The defendant was found guilty for the child sexual assault case on April 4 following an eight-day jury trial. Salas was arrested in Pearl City in 2019.

This investigation was performed by the Honolulu Police Department, with support from the Children’s Justice Center and the Sex Abuse Treatment Center.

Police searching for former Colorado sheriff's deputy accused of child sexual exploitation

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is leading a search for a former San Miguel County sheriff's deputy after investigators say the deputy was in possession of 27 videos of child sexual abuse materials.

Jesus Damian Nieblas, 28, resigned from the sheriff's office in late June, before CBI started its investigation, the bureau said in a statement. State investigators served a search warrant on Nieblas' home in Norwood on July 10 and say they found 27 child sexual abuse videos.

Investigators have not been able to locate Nieblas and there's now a warrant out for his arrest on the following charges:

• 1 count of sexual exploitation of a child, a class 3 felony
• 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, a class 4 felony
• 16 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, a class 5 felony
• 27 counts of persons required to report child abuse or neglect, a misdemeanor

Police don't believe Nieblas is still in San Miguel County, in southwestern Colorado, and don't believe any children in San Miguel County were victims of Nieblas' alleged crimes.

Nieblas worked as a code enforcement officer with the Telluride Marshal's Office before being hired by the San Miguel Sheriff's Office on Aug. 1, 2020 as a patrol deputy, according to a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.

He served as a school resource officer for the Norwood School District but was removed from that position for "misuse of his Taser in front of several students while horseplaying with an adult friend (wrestling coach at the school), the spokeswoman said.

The sheriff's office said it learned about CBI's investigation on June 25 -- the same day Nieblas submitted his resignation letter. The sheriff's office said that once San Miguel Sheriff Dan Covault learned that one of its deputies was accused of a crime, he alerted CBI, which launched an investigation.

"These alleged crimes are clearly serious and disturbing to all of us who worked with Mr. Nieblas. We support the CBI's efforts in their investigation and will wait until he has his day in court to be able to have closure on this situation," Covault said in a statement. "The Sheriff's Office is committed to transparency, integrity and the highest of moral standards. Criminal activity or unethical behavior will not be tolerated, and we will address any of these issues directly and decisively."   

Anyone with information about Nieblas' whereabouts is asked to call CBI Special Agent Caroline Keevey at 970-248-7500.

Delta Airlines co-pilot arrested at SFO identified, booked on child sex charges

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – A co-pilot on a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco who was arrested upon landing at San Francisco International Airport has been identified. According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, Rustom Bhagwagar, a 34-year-old Florida resident, was arrested at SFO Saturday night for alleged sex crimes against a child.

According to law enforcement, Bhagwagar has been booked on five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years old. He is being held on $5 million in bail, sheriff’s office officials said on Monday.

Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Investigation Division have been investigating Bhagwagar since April. They secured a Ramey arrest warrant for him and learned he was due to fly into SFO prior to Saturday’s arrest.

Following the arrest, in which at least 10 officers were seen charging the cockpit of the plane, initial reports indicated the charges were related to child sexual abuse material.

A Delta spokesperson on Sunday deferred comment to law enforcement. However, on Monday, an airline spokesperson told KRON4 that, “Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement.”

“We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation,” they added.

The arrest was made as part of an investigation by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) official told KRON4. HSI assisted, but federal agents were on the scene primarily to give Contra Costa County deputies access to the plane to make the arrest.

Bhagwagar, who reportedly once resided in the East Bay, was booked into Martinez Jail.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing.