Kamiah, ID -
On January 3, 2024, the Stanislaus County Sheriff Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) received information regarding the whereabouts of Cristian Ceja, 27, as well as the minor he was alleged to have abducted.
The SVU unit immediately began to coordinate with the Idaho County Sheriff's Office to develop a plan to safely rescue the abducted minor and take Ceja into custody. The two were found in a remote part of Idaho County just outside of Kamiah, ID living in a camper trailer.
The Idaho County Sheriff's Office soon developed a rapid rescue tactical response. While in constant consultation with Stanislaus County Sheriff’s detectives, the Idaho County Sheriff's Office responded and arrested Ceja without incident. He was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant originally issued by Stanislaus County's SVU detectives.
The abducted minor was located safe and placed into protective custody for transportation back to the Idaho County Sheriff's Office. Ceja was booked at their county jail pending his extradition back to Stanislaus County. The warrant he was held on alleged violation of the following California Penal Code sections:
1) Distributing harmful matter to a minor, 2) communicating with a minor with intent to commit illicit sex acts, 3) arranging to meet a minor with intent to commit lewd or lascivious acts, 4) possession of child pornography, 5) unlawful sexual intercourse with minor under 16 years of age, 6) lewd and lascivious acts on a child of 14 or 15 years old while being 10 years older than the child, 7) oral copulation of a minor under the age of 16-years-old, 8) child abuse and 9) child abduction.
Stanislaus County Sheriff SVU detectives arrived in Idaho County on January 4th. They then coordinated with their Idaho counterparts to execute a search warrant. Ceja's travel trailer and another vehicle were searched for clues and other evidence. During court proceedings in Idaho, Ceja waived his extradition and was taken back to California. The minor was also returned to Stanislaus County for reunification with her family.
On Friday, Jan. 5th, Ceja was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center. His bail was first set at $500,000. On Jan. 9th, Ceja was arraigned for the above charges and still remains in custody in lieu of an increased $825,000 bond. This case is still under active investigation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We thank our partners with the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office who helped to ensure a happy ending to this case.
