Deputy Accused of Illegally Accessing Secure Computers Due for Arraignment

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - A Riverside County sheriff's deputy accused of
searching a secure computer network without permission or a legitimate reason
is slated for arraignment later this month on felony charges.
  

Matthew Enrique Estrada, 53, of Blythe was arrested last month
following a nearly yearlong probe by the Riverside County Sheriff's
Department's Special Investigations Bureau.
  

Estrada did not spend any time in custody, but he was placed on paid
administrative leave. The defendant, who is free on a $25,000 bond, is charged
with two counts of unlawfully accessing privileged information via government
computers.
  

He's scheduled to be formally arraigned before Superior Court Judge
Mickie Reed at the Blythe Courthouse on June 30.
  

According to sheriff's Sgt. Michael Perez, detectives learned on June
24, 2025, of one or more instances in which Estrada allegedly ``accessed
confidential'' data without prior authorization or justification.
  

There were no details on what he sought to obtain during the alleged
activity.
  

Sufficient evidence was garnered in the ensuing months to submit a
request for felony charges from the District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors
filed the criminal complaint on Friday.
  

Estrada has been employed as a deputy sheriff since June 2007. He was
most recently assigned to the Colorado River Station.
  

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact
investigators at 951-955-1700.
  

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