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<font size="2" color="black" face="Tahoma"><span dir="ltr" style="font-size: 10pt;">A Selma man is accused of luring in young boys utilizing social media apps, and sexually assaulting at least one of them, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.<br /> <br /> Ricardo Carrillo, who is 27-years old, was arrested on Monday on multiple charges of sex abuse and possessing child pornography. Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said on Wednesday that Carrillo would pose as a 19-year old woman to lure in the teen boys, utilizing the social media chat apps "Whisper" and "Kik".<br /> <br /> Dr. Aimee Rickman, the assistant professor at Fresno State’s Child & Family Sciences Department commented on Wednesday that she had heard of those two apps, available to most smartphones. She explained the allure it can have on young people.<br /> <br /> She said, "Children are participating in social media and apps like "Kik" and "Whisper" because they want to be a part of the world."<br /> <br /> But Sheriff Mims warned those apps have led at least five teenage boys in Fresno County down a dangerous path.<br /> <br /> "Don’t be duped by using apps such as "Whisper" or "Kik" because these are apps that are used by people who want to victimize you," said Mims at a press conference on Wednesday.<br /> <br /> Sheriff’s investigators said last September, Carrillo posed as a 19-year old woman on those apps. He would allegedly get the teen boys he was chatting with to send explicit sexual photos of themselves.<br /> <br /> Mims said, "Carrillo actually blackmailed the boys and said, ‘If you don’t do what I want you to do, I will spread these photographs around your neighborhood, and your school, and with your family members.’"<br /> <br /> Mims stated that Carrillo also used the photos as blackmail to allegedly force one of the boys to perform a sexual act on him.<br /> <br /> "To parents: take a look at the apps that your children are using," warned Mims.<br /> <br /> Rickman commented, "Social media opens up anonymity in ways that can allow some young people to express things and get support. That’s important. But, it also opens up an opportunity to be misled."<br /> <br /> Both Mims and Rickman said the boys in this case were brave for speaking out– for that may have been the only way the suspect would have been caught.<br /> <br /> "Whisper" and "Kik" both state that they are apps that promote safety, and they work very closely with law enforcement to provide any information that law enforcement may need.<br /> <br /> According to the Sheriff’s Office, Carrillo was not a sex offender, and he does not have a prior criminal history. He’s being held on a bail of more than $600,000. </span></font></div>
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