By Jorge Casuso

April 21, 2026 -- A Santa Monica Salvation Army captain was arrested this month in relation to an ongoing investigation "involving the possession of child sexual abuse material," according to police.

Ty Michael Baze, 54, was taken into custody without incident on April 10 after detectives obtained an arrest warrant as part of the investigation, police said.

Baze was arrested on felony charges "including possession of obscene matter depicting a minor in sexual acts," said Lt. Lewis Gilmour, the Police Department spokesman.

The investigation, which is being led by SMPD’s Criminal Investigation Division, remains ongoing, Gilmour said.

Baze was briefly held at LA County jail on $250,000 bail and was released with a citation, according to the LA County Sheriff's Inmate Information Center.

In an interview published on December 1 in VoyageLA Magazine, Baze said he was a Salvation Army Corps Officer, Pastor and Sillvercrest Coordinator for senior housing in Santa Monica.

He said he and his wife began working at the Salvation Army in Santa Monica last July after being transferred from the local chapter in Anaheim.

NBC4 Investigations reported that the Salvation Army has placed Baze on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

SMPD is waiting for additional details from detectives before issuing more information concerning the investigation, Gilmour said.