A 58-year-old man from Reno, Nevada, was arrested Oct. 21 following a months-long investigation into online communications with a detective posing as a 13-year-old girl, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
Robert Popowski allegedly began communicating with the undercover detective in July, according to law enforcement officials. Investigators said the conversations were sexual in nature and eventually led to plans for Popowski to meet with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sex in Placer County.
In October, a Placer County judge issued an arrest warrant for Popowski. Detectives with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Persons unit worked with the Reno Police Department’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit to locate and arrest him, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Popowski was arrested Oct. 21 and booked into the South Placer Jail on suspicion of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and related charges.
Popowski pleaded not guilty at his Oct. 23 arraignment and is due to appear in court again Monday for a bail review hearing, online Placer Superior Court records show.
This story was originally published November 8, 2026 at 11:05 AM.
The Sacramento Bee
Nicole Buss is The Sacramento Bee’s Roseville/Placer County watchdog reporter. She previously covered Placer County at Gold Country Media. Buss grew up in Lincoln and is a graduate of Sierra College and Arizona State University.
Source: www.sacbee.com
