13 Men Arrested For Online Solicitation Of A Minor In Collin County
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - A three day undercover operation conducted by the Collin County Sheriff's Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and five other federal, state, and local agencies, arrested and charged 13 individuals with felony counts of Online Solicitation of a Minor.
Under Operation Hercules, investigators also seized electronic devices used by the suspects that will be forensically examined by the Child Exploitation Unit for evidence.
"I want to thank the Operation Hercules participants for their hard work and dedication in apprehending this group of sexual predators" said Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner. "These subjects are sophisticated in their use of technology and online forums, which they utilize to target and communicate with our youth. Parents should talk to their children about their devices, how they use them, who they are talking to, and what they see online. Check regularly. Give children an opportunity to tell you if they feel something may be wrong. Finally, I want criminals to know that in Collin County, we won't tolerate those who look to exploit our children."
Additional charges and arrests are expected.
Two of the suspects had child pornography on their devices at the time of their arrest. One suspect was out on bond from a September 2020 arrest in Dallas for Sexual Assault of a Child, and another one was a New York resident visiting the Metroplex on a business trip. Another arrested suspect was armed with a pistol when he showed up to meet whom he thought was a child.