People v. Brian Pardue: Kern County Superior Court Case BF181810A
July 6, 2023 – Bakersfield, CA - Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer announced a verdict in a significant case on Wednesday. In a case presented by Chief Deputy District Attorney Ken Russell, a Kern County jury found former CHP Officer Brian Pardue guilty of Communicating with a Minor for a Sexual Purpose and of Arranging to Meet with a Minor for a Lewd Act.
Deputies from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Sexual Assault Unit regularly conduct online operations targeting adults who use dating apps to solicit minors for sex. The deputies create and operate decoy profiles with the goal of identifying and arresting perpetrators from dating apps.
On July 3, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., a deputy posing as an underage female decoy had contact with Pardue on the app. During this initial contact, Pardue was posing as his wife who was soliciting a sexual partner for her husband (Brian Pardue). Later in the conversation, the explicit messages continued as Pardue began directly texting the decoy from noon until 7:00 p.m. Pardue was contacting the decoy as both the husband on a texting app and wife on the dating app, having both conversations with the goal of the decoy meeting the husband (Brian Pardue) for sex. During the operation the deputies were able to determine the identity of Pardue and his occupation.
Pardue ultimately did not follow through with the meeting of the decoy, but not before he had committed the two charged offenses of communicating with a minor for a sexual purposes. KCSO arrested Parude at approximately 7:30 p.m. on July 3, 2020.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented on the conviction, stating; “No one is above the law, including police officers. Pardue not only failed in his duty to protect our community, his actions directed at a minor proved him to be a sexual threat to children. In addition to facing a potential prison sentence, Pardue’s sentence should require him to register as a sex offender.”
Sentencing is set before the Honorable Judge John Brownlee in Department 6 on August 2. Pardue faces a sentence upwards of 3 years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Source: Kern County D.A.
