by Bay City News
An Antioch man who is charged with dozens of felony molestation and child pornography crimes is scheduled to appear in court in Pittsburg Tuesday afternoon. Hector Leon, 48, is charged with 82 felony counts, including 22 counts of lewd acts on a child under 14; 41 counts of creating child pornography; and 16 counts of oral copulation with a child under 18, according to prosecutors. He is believed to have victimized a child in Antioch on numerous occasions between 2008 and this year, Contra Costa County Senior Deputy District Attorney Nancy Georgiou said.
Leon was first arrested in September after a Pleasant Hill police detective working on the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force caught him allegedly trading child pornography images online. A search warrant was served at his Antioch home, where detectives found more child pornography images and other evidence, Pleasant Hill police Lt. Dan Connelly said. Leon was released as the investigation continued, but a warrant was later issued for his arrest. He turned himself in on Nov. 8 and was taken to county jail in Martinez, Connelly said. He is being held on $3.4 million bail and will be in court today to schedule a preliminary hearing date, Deputy District Attorney Derek Butts said. At a court appearance earlier this month, Leon pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
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