Oakdale police investigators have arrested a 21-year-old man, a UC Merced employee, for sending obscene photos to underage children with the intent to engage in sexual acts.

The UC Merced Police Department started the investigation, but contacted Oakdale PD after learning that the victims lived in Oakdale. After conducting the investigation that began in 2021, Oakdale officers went to the campus to arrest the suspect, identified as David Michael Yaranon, but he failed to show up to work. Oakdale and Merced police officers then went to his house, where he was located and arrested.

Yaranon, 21, had contacted multiple victims online, according to police. Once he learned that the victims were children, he sent them sexually explicit photographs. The victims, determined to be from the Oakdale area, did not meet with Yaranon in person.

Investigators have learned that the three victims are between the ages of 13 to 15 years old. Currently, investigators are working to determine if there are additional victims. They are asking anyone who may have been contacted by Yaranon to reach out to their investigators at (209) 847-2231.

Yaranon is charged with Annoying or Molesting a Child Under 18 years of Age, Showing or Sending Harmful Material to Seduce a Minor and Contacting a Minor to Commit a Felony. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail with bail initially set at $75,000.