Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Photographer Held in Molestation : Pornography: Deputies, responding to an 11-year-old girl’s complaint that man exposed himself, report finding pictures of nude children in photo shop.

A professional photographer has been arrested on suspicion of exposing himself to a girl, authorities said on Wednesday, adding that a search of the suspect’s photo developing business turned up 30 pictures of nude children.

Noble Nguyen, 37, of Palmdale, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of child molestation and possession of child pornography at Perfect Half-Hour Photo in the 2500 block of East Avenue S, said Los Angeles Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Carney.

Nguyen allegedly exposed himself in front of a 11-year-old girl left at the photo store by her mother to play with Nguyen’s two children, said Carney, a supervisor for the department’s Child Abuse Detail. The frightened girl fled to a nearby fast-food restaurant where employees flagged down passing deputies, he said.

When deputies entered the photo business, Carney said, they found photographs of nude children on the desks. Nguyen was arrested and the store, which doubles as a photo studio, was searched.

“We have five separate children in the photographs, from as young as 18 months to 5 years old at the most,” Carney said. “One depicts a sex act with the 18-month-old and an unidentifiable male.”

In addition, nude photographs of 12 girls, between the ages of 12 and 17, and other pictures of “the same children in seductive poses wearing provocative clothes” were found, Carney said.

“We have virtually no idea whose children these are,” Carney said.

Hundreds of videos and fake identification cards, including a Los Angeles Police Department identification card, were also seized in the search, Carney said. Investigators are still in the process of viewing the videos, but no child pornography has been found among them, he added.

Nguyen was being held at the Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Station in lieu of $50,000 bail, Carney said.

Nguyen’s children, who were at the photo store when their father was arrested, were placed in foster care temporarily, he said.

Antelope Valley residents with information that will help identify the youngsters in the photographs are requested to call the child abuse detail at (805) 942-0137.