HOUSTON — A three-month investigation into online sexual exploitation of children has put 60 people behind bars.
The suspects include two ex-cops and a Dayton ISD teacher.
“We think we can trust and just be blindly trusting of everybody but, let me just highlight that this crew, this team, this operation led to the arrest of a former Houston police sergeant, who was stalking and for five counts of possession of child erotica,” said HPD Chief Art Acevedo.
A former Harris County Sheriff’s deputy was also busted.
“That sheriff’s deputy actually wanted to meet a victim, a female victim,” Acevedo said. “He had an AR-15 with him, and he admitted during the interrogation that he was going to sexually assault this young girl and then he was going to rob her. That’s how sick these people are.”
The chief reminded parents of the importance of keeping tabs on their children’s internet and social media habits. And to warn their children about the dangers of child predators.
“The suspects who do this look like you and I. It could be your neighbor, it could be your preacher, it could be a person of faith,” he warned.
At least one of the 60 suspects is a woman.
Operation Broken Heart involved multiple agencies led by the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.