Former East Texas officer admits coercing child into sex acts to create explicit images, prosecutors say

A former Texas law enforcement officer has pleaded guilty to federal child‑exploitation charges after admitting he coerced a young child into sexually explicit acts to produce images, federal prosecutors said.

Skyler Douglas Laza, an ex‑Houston County Sheriff's Office deputy, now faces 40 to 60 years in prison, lifetime supervision, and mandatory sex‑offender registration, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

Laza's arrest followed a cyber tip received by the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The tip, received in November 2025, came through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and reported a possible case of sexual abuse of a child. Investigators determined that Laza and a former Gladewater police officer sexually assaulted a child multiple times. Laza was arrested in Palestine.

The two suspects and the victim knew one another, a news release said at the time.

Laza entered the guilty plea on Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love in the Eastern District of Texas.

On at least two occasions, prosecutors said, Laza persuaded a child younger than 12 to engage in sexually explicit conduct to create visual depictions using a cellphone.

Laza's sentencing will be scheduled after a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

Homeland Security Investigations, Dallas police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Palestine police are conducting the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek is overseeing the prosecution.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as more information becomes available.