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Nine Alleged Child Predators Arrested in One Texas County

Nine Predators

Nine Alleged Child Predators Arrested in One Texas County

Nine men, referred to by the sheriff as “monsters,” were arrested by the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies during a special sting operation in November. The nine men allegedly were using the internet to prey on children and were caught in a joint effort between the sheriff’s office and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). The Task Force conducted a 3-day operation in Fort Bend County last week.

During a press conference held in Fort Bend County, just southwest of Houston, Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls issued a warning to parents, “You need to be nosy, trust your children, but verify their activities.”

The joint task force began an operation dubbed “Operation Turkey Shoot” that was designed to identify people who were looking to engage in sexual activity with teenagers. Law enforcement officers surfed the web and social media pretending to be teenage girls between the age of 13 and 15 according to Sheriff Nehls during an interview with Breitbart Texas. “Once we identified the individuals we would set up a meeting between the adult and the ‘young girl,’” Nehls said.

“Anyone who would be out there looking for sex with a child is a monster,” the Sheriff told Breitbart Texas. “We will continue to pursue these monsters.”

Nehls said the most important lesson to come out of these arrests is for parents to be aware that their children are not safe on the internet just because they live in Fort Bend County. “Parents must monitor their children’s activities on the internet,” he explained. “Get their passwords. If they are in their room for a long period of time, walk in and see what they are doing and who they are talking to online.”

In addition to the nine arrested in this sting, others were also arrested for downloading child porn. Of the nine alleged predators arrested, four were made last week during a three-day operation where the individuals believed they were coming to a home to meet a thirteen to fifteen year-old girl. Nehls told this writer most of those arrested were from the Fort Bend County area but some came from neighboring Harris County (Houston).

Nehls said that one of the suspects was allegedly caught with $4,000 in cash which caused investigators to question what someone thinking they were meeting a teenage girl would be doing with that amount of money.

Breitbart Texas previously reported on Texas Attorney General, now Governor-Elect, Greg Abbotts efforts to expand ICAC enforcement actions across Texas. In that article Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman said, “As a long time affiliate agency member of the Houston Area ICAC, we have seen tremendous increases in charges and arrest of offenders in this particularly heinous activity. The market is clearly full of such predatory people and with some of the advanced tools we have seen introduced in the law enforcement arena in recent years, our capabilities to track down and locate suspects is getting better.”

Nehls told Breitbart Texas the Houston Metro ICAC task force is not just working in his county. “Many of the counties surrounding Fort Bend County have similar operations underway.” He said that for these operations could be for naught if parents don’t learn the lesson that their children could be at risk.

“I will do everything I can to catch these monsters, but I need your help,” Nehls concluded referring to the parents. “Our children are certainly our most prized possessions and I will continue to do everything I can to help you keep them safe.”

 

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/11/26/Nine-Internet-Child-Predator-Monsters-Arrested-in-Texas-County

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