A sex sting by the Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has led to the arrest of 24 persons on suspicion of online solicitation of a minor, which is a second-degree felony in Texas. In total, the task force made 61 arrests in 2018 according to prosecutors.
Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon made a written statement to local news media, saying:
“The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is committed to keeping our children safe and we will continue to aggressively pursue those that seek to victimize our children through the Internet. This will continue to be reflected by the number of those arrested and charged in Montgomery County until the message is heard — we will not tolerate sexual exploitation of our children online in Montgomery County.”
Most of the men arrested were from Montgomery County or Harris County, although two were from Liberty County and one was from Walker County. One of the men also was charged with sexual assault of a child.
The sting operation ran from October 8 to December 20, 2018. Investigators posed as children below age 17, online and via mobile phones, and allegedly determined that the adult suspects with whom they were in contact were soliciting for sex.
As a second degree felony, online solicitation of sex is a serious crime under Texas law. Those who are convicted can face prison time of at least two years and as much as 20 years. They also can be fined up to $10,000.
Guilty is guilty, but online sex stings tend to cast wide nets which sometimes snare innocent people who unwittingly appear to be soliciting sex when they are not. Also, some police sting operations involve illegal entrapment of suspects.
If you face a charge of online solicitation of a minor, engage an experienced Houston sex crimes defense attorney who can help you protect your legal rights.
