NARRATIVE: DOUGLAS COUNTY, CO – Douglas County Sheriff’s Office detectives have arrested an adult male for possession of child pornography.
After an extensive investigation involving information that a person in Douglas County may be in possession of child pornography, detectives were able to identify Ridley Mellema, DOB 05/14/2003, as the person involved. While this is still a very active investigation, preliminarily, detectives did discover at least 24,000 images/videos on the suspect’s phone.
Mellema was taken into custody on May 2, 2023, and transported to the Douglas County Detention Facility, where he was booked on the following charges:
18-6-403(5) F4 Sexual Exploitation of a Child
18-3-405.4 (3) F4 Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child
He is currently being held on a $20,000 bond.
Sheriff Weekly expressed his appreciation to the detectives involved in the case, saying, “I am proud of my team for their diligence in investigating these types of crimes. This arrest sends a strong message that we will not tolerate those attempting to exploit children, whether over the internet or in person.”
The investigation is ongoing and no further information can be released at this time.
