More victims may exist after arrest for Sacramento child sex abuse in Alabama
Authorities said a man — who was arrested last month and faces 23 felony counts of child sex crimes following a monthslong investigation — may have additional victims who have not yet come forward.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said its investigation began in May 2024 after a social worker reported that a teenage patient disclosed being sexually abused by a family member, identified as Christopher Lee Brinson. The victim said the abuse occurred when she was between the ages of 6 and 10.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Child Abuse Bureau later identified multiple victims during their investigation, according to a statement from deputies, and obtained an arrest warrant, authorities said.
Brinson, 63, was arrested in Alabama on Dec. 9 and extradited to the Sacramento County Main Jail and arraigned in Superior Court on Dec. 23. He was charged with 23 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and remains in custody at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center near Elk Grove.
“Detectives believe there are additional victims who have not yet reported their abuse,” the Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. “Some may have been friends of Brinson’s children. The suspected abuse began more than 30 years ago and continued over a significant period of time.”
Authorities said Brinson, who is listed in the jail log with the last name of Brunson, had lived in at least 17 locations in Sacramento County, as well as other cities including Stockton, Visalia and Farmersville, as well as Billings, Montana, and Mobile, Alabama — raising concern that additional victims had not yet been identified.
The Sheriff’s Office released Brinson’s current booking photo along with an older photo from 2000, in the hopes that victims may recognize him from different periods of their lives.
Anyone with information was urged to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Child Abuse Bureau at 916-874-5191 or by email at childabuse@sacsheriff.com.
Brinson’s next court appearance is slated for Feb. 5.
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This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 8:15 AM.