A 29-year-old El Monte man has been charged with violating federal child pornography laws after disclosing on his application to become a California Highway Patrol officer that he had viewed illegal pornography on the Internet, authorities said.

CHP officials, working in conjunction with the FBI on a multiagency task force, immediately launched an investigation of Christian Hernandez after he made the disclosure while applying to the agency in October, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Hernandez also admitted having viewed illicit photos of a minor within a month of filling out the application, Eimiller said.

CHP investigators performed a consent search of the home where Hernandez was living and found child pornography on a computer he was using, including sexually explicit photos of a 5-year-old girl. The photos appeared to have been taken in the bedroom of the home where Hernandez now lives, Eimiller said.


Hernandez was arrested last week on state charges of suspicion of committing a lewd act with a child and booked into Los Angeles County Jail. He was released on bail two days later.

On Tuesday, he was charged in federal court with possessing and manufacturing child pornography, authorities said.

Hernandez is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

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scott.glover@latimes.com