A Santee man who describes himself as a security expert was arrested on several felony counts of child abuse officials said Wednesday.
Tony Burleson, 43, was booked on four counts of felony child abuse or more specifically, lewd and lascivious acts with children.
On Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., Burleson was found asleep in his Hummer on Santo Road in Tierrasanta. The vehicle was parked near a Bright Horizons daycare center.
San Diego County sheriff’s deputies had been looking for Burleson since Friday when they were contacted by an alleged victim claiming abuse decades ago. Detectives interviewed the person and then found three more victims in this case but would not go into specifics in order to protect the victims’ identities.
When asked if there were any recent victims, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Lt. James Bolwerk said “We believe right before this was found out, there may have been something going on.”
Since Burleson was a firearms instructor, deputies believed he was armed and dangerous and sent out an alert to other law enforcement agencies.
His website offers training ranging from how to handle evidence to how to use stun guns and tasers.
One of Burleson’s side businesses is fugitive apprehension according to Bolwerk.
He was not armed at the time of his arrest.
The defendant was rumored to have referred to himself as belonging to different law enforcement agencies but Bolwerk could not give specific information.
Burleson was schedule to appear in an El Cajon courtroom for an arraignment Wednesday afternoon. He was being held on $150,000 bail.
If there are any additional victims or witnesses, investigators say they can contact them at (858) 565-5200.