Google report leads to arrest of Pflugerville man for child pornography

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — A report filed by Google led to the arrest of a Pflugerville man last week on child pornography charges.

Matthew Castillo Garcia, 23, is charged with possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.

According to court documents, on October 4, 2023, a Pflugerville peace officer and investigator with the Pflugerville Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division and a member of the Southern Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC-TF) received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) referred to as “Cybertips.”

According to court documents, Google filed a report after the company was alerted to 40 files containing sexual abuse material involving children ages 6 to 10 uploaded to a Google Drive on June 23, 2023.

ALSO| Sketch released of man accused of attack on hiking and biking trail in July

Using the law enforcement database, a phone number with the name Matthew Castillo was returned to AT&T.

The cybertip was originally assigned to the Houston Police Department, but when it was determined that it fell within the jurisdiction of Pflugerville, it was forwarded to the Pflugerville Police Department.

On August 23, 2024, Pflugerville Police executed a search warrant on a residence at 803 W Black Locust Drive and arrested all residents, including Castillo Garcia.

Castilo Garcia told police he accessed material through communications on Telegram, a social media platform, and Instagram. He also said he stopped doing so because he “didn't want to get in trouble” and recently started watching CSAM again.

Although the substance did indeed arouse desire, Castillo Garcia claimed he never touched himself.

Castillo was remanded to the Travis County Jail on $25,000 bail.