Authorities seek public help in identifying potential victims of convicted sex offender in Sacramento Area, recently seen buying promise ring for 15-year-old

SACRAMENTO, California — Authorities are seeking the public's assistance in identifying potential victims of a convicted sex offender who was recently detained.In February 2024, 44-year-old Scott Bartholomew Prange, of Rancho Cordova, was detained by Rancho Cordova Police Department deputies and members of the Sacramento Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team after a jewelry store clerk reported suspicious behavior between Prange and a 15-year-old girl, the two were shopping for a "promise ring". Prange, a tier-3 sexual offender, was found to be out of compliance with his registration and had a warrant for absconding from parole, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.Prange was in possession of thousands of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) videos involving infants, prepubescent children, and pubescent children at the time of his arrest. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he remains ineligible for bail.A follow-up investigation revealed that Prange had produced videos of himself sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl from Placer County while being a parolee-at-large. He was also in communication with multiple children across California, including Sacramento, Merced, Placer, and San Luis Obispo counties. An additional victim, an 11-year-old girl from Georgia, was also identified.Prange faces multiple charges, including digital penetration and oral copulation of a child under 10, lewd acts with a child under 14, and possession and production of child pornography, among others.Detectives believe Prange may have stayed with numerous families and had access to multiple children in Sacramento, Placer, and Butte counties in California, as well as Jefferson County in Kentucky, Snohomish County in Washington, and Ingham County in Michigan.The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with relevant information to contact them at (916) 874-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at (916) 443-HELP (4357), 1-800-AA-CRIME, or **TIPS. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at www.sacvalleycrimestoppers.com or www.sacsheriff.com , or by calling (916) 874-TIPS (8477).This investigation was a combined effort by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, Rancho Cordova Police Department, Sacramento County Probation Department, Citrus Heights Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, Merced Police Department, Morro Bay Police Department, and the ICAC unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force. The ICAC unit investigates crimes relating to the sexual exploitation of children throughout Northern California.