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Convicted Sex Offender Arrested While Downloading Child Porn In Riverside

RIVERSIDE (CBS) — A convicted sex offender allegedly caught in the act of downloading child pornography on a computer at Riverside Community College was behind bars Friday.

Ryan Scott Barnhart, 33, was being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

He was arrested around noon Thursday and booked on suspicion of possession of child porn and parole violations, said Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Robert Rose.

Investigators from the Riverside County Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement task force learned that Barnhart was allegedly using a public computer in RCC's Business Education Building to download images of children in sex acts.

The Moreno Valley resident is taking classes at RCC.

Deputies and campus police officers took the ex-con into custody while he was viewing the pictures, Rose said.

According to the California Department of Justice, Barnhart has prior convictions for child molestation, possessing child porn and producing child porn.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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