Veteran CHP officer arrested in child pornography case

A veteran California Highway Patrol officer is on administrative leave after being arrested this week on suspicion of transmitting child pornography. Placer County sheriff's detectives arrested Patrick Francis Cooney Jr., around 4 p.m. Monday. An ongoing investigation revealed that Cooney, 54, allegedly sent child pornography that depicts sexual acts involving persons under 18, officials said. Authorities searched his Auburn residence and seized his electronic devices. "CHP is aware of the arrest of one of its officers by the Placer County Sheriff Department for alleged behavior that occurred while the employee was off duty," Chief Janice Mulanix of the CHP Valley Division in Sacramento said in a statement.