PALO ALTO — A member of Palo Alto’s Stormwater Oversight Committee faces a litany of criminal charges stemming from an investigation into online child exploitation, authorities say.
The suspect — identified as Robert K. Wenzlau, 67, of Palo Alto — was arrested Thursday at his Palo Alto home, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release.
Police said Wenzlau first came to their attention on March 5, when Georgia authorities told them a man had used an “anonymous mobile communications app” to correspond with an undercover agent posing as a 12 year old girl.
The man, who claimed to be 55, provided his cellphone number and used it to send first photos of himself and then child sexual abuse material to the officer, police said.
Police did not release the name of the mobile app, citing the ongoing investigation.
Palo Alto detectives identified the owner of the cellphone number and determined it was the same person who had corresponded with the undercover agent in Georgia, police said. They also determined he was a 67-year-old Palo Alto resident.
Police said the detectives then created their own account on the mobile app, posing as a 12-year-old girl. Four days later, Wenzlau messaged him and began corresponding with an undercover detective, police said.
Wenzlau provided the same phone number and sent photos of himself to the detective, police said, adding that he then solicited the detective for explicit images, sent child sexual abuse material to the detective and took arrangements to meet them in person with the intention of performing sexual acts. The meeting did not take place.
Detectives presented the case to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, which charged Wenzlau with four felonies: contact with a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, attempted lewd act on a child under 14 years old, possession of child pornography and transmission of harmful material to a person considered a minor.
Wenzlau was also charged with arranging to meet with a minor to engage in lewd conduct, a misdemeanor.
A judge issued a warrant for his arrest Monday.
Wenzlau has served on Palo Alto’s stormwater management oversight committee since November 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. The council reviews proposed stormwater management capital improvement projects and expenses funded by stormwater management fees, the city said on its website.
Wenzlau’s profile also lists him as president and founder of Terradex Inc., a Palo Alto-based company that monitors groundwater contamination.
Police said detectives believe there may be other victims. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Wenzlau can contact the police department at 650-329-2413.
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