The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a 44-year-old sex offender for child sexual abuse. SCSO says Scott Bartholomew Prange was shopping for a “promise ring” and purchased one for a 15-year-old girl in Rancho Cordova in February 2024.

The jewelry store clerk thought Prange’s behavior was suspicious so he contacted SCSO’s dispatch to report the situation. Prange was detained in the parking lot. SCSO says Prange was a tier-3 sexual offender who was out of compliance with his registration.

He also had a warrant out for his arrest for absconding from parole. At the time of his arrest, Prange allegedly had thousands of CSAM videos involving infants, prepubescent children, and pubescent children. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail without bail.

Detectives say they found videos of Prange sexually abusing a seven-year-old female out of Placer County. He was also allegedly in communication with multiple children across California. A 12-year-old female victim was also identified in Georgia.

Prange is charged with the following.

• ​Digital penetration of a child 10 years and under
• Oral copulation with a child 10 years and under
• Lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14
• Attempt lewd and lascivious acts with a child 14 or 15 years old while being at least 10 years older
• Sending harmful content to a minor
• ​Communication with a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense
• Arrangement of a meeting with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd or lascivious behavior
• Arriving at the arranged meeting place after committing a violation
• Possession of child pornography with a previous conviction
• Production of child pornography

Detectives believe there could be additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact SCSO at 916-874-5115 or Crime Stoppers at 916-443-HELP.