40-year-old, nine-year Long Beach Police department employee Officer Noe Yanez pleaded not guilty to 42 sex crimes today — 29 felony counts and 13 misdemeanors supposedly spanning January, 2008 to April of this year — and will be due back in court on August 1.
Yanez was arrested April 19 for for possession of child pornography, following an investigation conducted by the department. After posting bail on April 20, he was rearrested for additional offenses on May 7.
Yanez first came into contact with a minor during the course of an assignment, which has not been identified to protect the victim’s identity. He then began contacting the minor via text messages and subsequently solicited inappropriate photographs of the victim. In April, the victim reported the incident to a school resource officer and LBPD launched an immediate, and thorough investigation. Significant resources were devoted to determine the extent of the contact between Yanez and the victim, including the execution of multiple search warrants.
Following the initial complaint and arrest of Yanez, the Long Beach Police Department continued their investigation and additional victims were located and interviewed. After an extensive investigation following that arrest, he was rearrested on May 9 and booked on multiple counts of sexually-based offenses — 39 sex crimes involving 13 underage victims. Initially he was charged with 24 felony counts and 15 misdemeanors; new charges arose after three young women, all of legal age, spoke with investigators, including one felony count each of sexual penetration by a foreign object, forcible oral copulation, assault with intent to commit a felony, and two felony counts of false imprisonment by fraud or deceit. These crimes are thought to have been committed between May of 2008 and April of this year.
Anyone with additional information regarding this case is urged to contact the Long Beach Police Department Sex Crimes Detail Tip Line at (562) 570-7878. Anonymous tips may be submitted via text or email by visiting www.tipsoft.com.