Sting Operation Nets Six For Online Solicitation Of A Minor

HOUSTON, TX — Investigators with the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office and members of other jurisdictions arrested six men on charges of online solicitation of a minor during a sting operation.

Constable Alan Rosen annonce the arrests during a press conference on Tuesday.

"This is absolutely disgusting," Rosen said. "Sometimes these people can take months to prey on someone, andsometimes it happens fast. We were happy to get these people off the street."

The six men engaged in online chats with an undercover investigator posing as a 14-year old girl, and working as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAT) Task Force.

Photos of those arrested were identified as:

Rosen said some of the men had access to children every day, including one of the men who'd worked as a substitute teacher in Pasadena ISD, held a teaching certificate, a day care license, and worked at a YMCA in Waco at one time.

"All of those places have access to children," Rosen said.

Another of the men arrested was employed at the Hall Center in Aldine ISD teaching high school students, while another had a record of soliciting minors online.

Rosen said the message they wante to convey was to talk with their children and educate them about the dangers associate with the Internet, be involved in what their children do and know what they are doing on social media applications like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.

"Had this been a 14-year old girl or a 15-year old girl, something terrible would have happened," Rosen said. "Some of the people had a proclivity for some really bad stuff; the stuff they engaged in was really deviant sexual behavior."

Rosen said the arrests were not generated as a result of any tips, but were all chance encounters with the men all engaging the investigators online.

Rosen added that about 70 investigators took part in the sting operation.

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