2 wives turned a man in to police over child sex abuse images, but a glitch kept him from being charged until now

SHASTA COUNTY, Ca. – A California father who was arrested last week after authorities said they had discovered more than 900 images of child sex abuse was also accused in 2018 of having “several hundred” similar images — but he has evaded prosecution because of an alleged computer glitch, a law enforcement official said.

Ryan Rovito, 34, of Redding, is accused of felony possession of child pornography and surreptitious recording after his wife turned over to police a camera she found hidden in the couple’s guest bathroom and a hard drive.

In 2018, his previous wife also went to authorities and reported that he had photos of “prepubescent juveniles” on his computer, said Sgt. Rob Garnero, a Redding police spokesperson.

Read more of this NBC News exclusive here.