DATE/TIME: September 29, 2026, at approximately 1:30 pm
INCIDENT: PC 288.3(a) Contacting a Minor to Commit a Sex Offense
PC 311.11(a) Possession of Child Pornography
LOCATION: 5300 block of National Trails Highway, Needles, CA
SUSPECT: Nathen Te Williamson, 31-years-old, resident of Needles
SUMMARY: On September 21, 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) conducted a child exploitation investigation and determined a Needles resident, Nathen Te Williamson, used an online chat platform to contact a 15-year-old female resident of Puerto Rico. FBI agents informed Detective Elizabeth Holguin of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department's (SBCSD) Specialized Investigations Division, Crimes Against Children (CAC) Detail, who assumed the investigation.
During the investigation, Holguin discovered that the Sheriff's Department received multiple CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) concerning the possession of child sexual abuse material and online enticement by Williamson. Investigators located images of child sexual abuse material in Williamson’s electronic devices.
On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the conclusion of the investigation, Williamson was arrested and booked at the Needles Jail, in Needles, for violation of PC 288.3(a) Contacting a Minor to Commit a Sex Offense and PC 311.11(a) Possession of Child Pornography, in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Detectives believe there may be additional victims and are releasing Williamson’s photograph. Anyone with information regarding this incident or who may have been victimized by Willliamson is encouraged to contact Detective Elizabeth Holguin of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Crimes Against Children Detail, at (909) 890-4904. Callers wishing to remain anonymous should call or text “REPORT” to We-Tip at 844-909-3006. Online reporting is also available at https://mobile.catapultems.com/sbcsd/Sites.
Refer: Detective Elizabeth Holguin
Station: Specialized Investigations Division – Crimes Against Children Detail
Phone No. (909) 890-4904
Case No. 602600120
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department
