LA County sheriff’s deputy arrested in Stanislaus County minor exploitation case
A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested following a Stanislaus County investigation into alleged sexual misconduct involving a minor, authorities said.
Darin Van Arsdale, 34, of Lancaster, was taken into custody March 23 by detectives with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit and Human Exploitation and Trafficking team, according to a news release.
He faces three felony charges related to the exploitation of a minor: attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child, sending harmful material to a minor with intent to seduce, and communicating with a minor with intent to commit lewd acts.
Van Arsdale was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center and is being held on $300,000 bail, authorities said.
The investigation began March 18 when deputies responded to a report of a runaway juvenile. After locating the girl and returning her home, she reported engaging in inappropriate sexual conversations online with an adult man who knew her age, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators said the man requested and received inappropriate photographs from the minor and initially contacted her through a social media application.
Detectives later conducted a planned operation and arrested Van Arsdale in Calabasas without incident. He was transported to Stanislaus County and booked into jail.
The case remains under investigation, and authorities said no additional identifying information about the victim will be released.
In a statement to The Bee, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the employee has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
“The Department takes these allegations very seriously and is fully cooperating with the investigation,” the statement said.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM.
