Fuchs said the investigation is ongoing and could result in more charges. Updated: 6:26 PM CST February 25, 2023. What do you think his plan was?. The Dallas area has a problem with sex trafficking, and authorities are using sting operations among other things to crack down. If youre a special ranger and youre really interested in stopping rustling, you dont sneak out in the middle of the night and unload a bunch of cattle that you secretly microchipped, Simonsen said. Please enter valid email address to continue. So we'll go at it from that aspect first. Sarah Bahari, Staff writer. And then the ripple effect of that is we'll catch people that are making these types of offenses. Also arrested were Christopher Bell, 44, of Temple; Steven Gwynn, 59, of Eddy; Danny Reed, 36, of Georgetown; and Clifford Visel, 77, of Round Rock. What do you think his plan was? The undercover officers placed ads that blended in with countless others found online, according to CBS News. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, These were among the 46 men arrested in a massive undercover prostitution sting this month in Frisco and Southlake, local and federal authorities announced. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. There are known incidents, though many go unreported, of johns being assaulted, robbed and, right here in Bell County, recently murdered, Cruz said. "We had a volunteer firefighter, a director of operations of one of the largest medical systems here in the metroplex. BELTON, Texas (FOX 44) A prostitution sting in Bell County has resulted in ten arrests. Advocates who help women and children survivors of sex trafficking said the arrests shed light on a bigger problem. Known as "Operation Home A week later, a Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association market inspector told Baker the cows had turned up at the Big Spring Livestock Auction in Big Spring, Texas, about two-and-a-half hours away. The Sheriff's Department said they are concerned about possible links between prostitution and human trafficking. North Texas Porch Thieves Becoming Bolder, Fort Worth Reviews Violent Crime Response Initiative. I applaud the dedication of these task force groups, including members of the Dallas Police Department, to bring these suspects to justice. Officials in El Paso, Midland, Ector and Tom Green recovered 70 children ranging in age from 10 to 17 who were victims of sex trafficking, physical and sexual abuse, according to a press release from the Department of Homeland Security. "There are known incidents, though many go unreported, of johns being assaulted, robbed and, right here in Bell County, recently murdered, Cruz said. "The victims of these heinous crimes are treated like commodities, used to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible," Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn told Fox 4. A Harris County, Texas, precinct chief was among more than a dozen arrested Wednesday evening in an undercover prostitution sting operation, authorities said. A man was arrested in an international sting operation targeting drug smugglers. They were afraid the bull would get in with their cattle, Jones replied. An additional four individuals were arrested on the second day of the operation, the news release stated. Randy Reynolds, the district attorney in charge of prosecuting felony cases, did not return phone calls. Over the course of the operation, which took place across Feb. 22 and 23, female deputies posed as prostitutes in digital ads on websites reportedly known for promoting prostitution, said the Sheriff's Department. Baker alleged in the warrants that Medlin, 35, spotted three bulls and a heifer without markings roaming near the Pecos River in June in Reeves County. Residents can contact Aware Central Texas at 254-813-0968 locally or can report nationally by calling the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting "Help" to 233733. During this weeks operation, one of the defendants negotiated a price but arrived with no money. And on Oct. 18, thats what he did, setting the operation into motion. Cecil Tim Morrison, a teacher at Marcus High School and the football teams offensive coordinator, resigned after his arrest for solicitation of a prostitute, according to the Lewisville Independent School District (ISD). Use the 'Report' link on that is degrading to another person. It's the biggest roundup from a prostitution sting operation in recent memory and shows it's a crime that's not just happening in urban areas. No, the sheriff replied, hed never gotten a report of stray cattle from anyone on the judges ranch, the records state. "Electronic service providers, the services you might use on cell phones or your computers, detect contraband material on their servers and they report that to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who then forward that information to the affected law enforcement agencies," explained Rich. What will ending the COVID-19 emergency look like in the US. All rights reserved, Following a Delivery Truck? However, Perez said, "In reality, it's not. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Officers responded to more than 700 messages from 73 different people in response to ads placed as part of the sting over two days. WebThe suicide of Bill Conradt was the November 2006 death of a local assistant district attorney in the DallasFort Worth metroplex after Texas police served him with search and arrest warrants stemming from a Dateline NBC Perverted-Justice online sting of men soliciting sex with children.. Perverted-Justice (PJ) and Dateline conducted their sting, Additionally, one of them received a charge of resisting arrest, but Bell County did not identify which. A high school teacher and football coach. The documents detail a yearlong investigation, replete with confidential informants and a sting operation involving a reddish-brown cow, her calf and the black yearling bull all equipped by the special rangers with microchips. Authorities in Texas have arrested nearly 50 people, including one high school teacher and a youth pastor, as part of a sting operation aimed at combatting sex trafficking. Ten people were arrested, ranging in age from 23 to 77. The devices are being examined forensically and may lead to the investigation of other offenders and additional charges. Police arrested a youth pastor and a high school coach and teacher for 10 men were arrested last week in a sting operation in Belton. Awareness of sexual trafficking and exploitation have grown immensely in recent years, heightened by a handful of high-profile cases. Investigators said the alleged list of crimes ranges from meeting victims to possessing harmful material on electronics. / CBS Texas. Officers responded to more than 700 messages from 73 different people in response to ads placed as part of the sting over two days. Texas law enforcement worked to uncover a huge prostitute sting of 46 community men. Those who traffic victims are the scourge of the earth, and we will continue to target those responsible for the trafficking and those who solicit sex from them.. The accused listed below are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The operation coincided with the Department of Homeland Securitys Blue Campaign to highlight Human Trafficking Prevention Month, which is January. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. On Thursday, the Collin County Sheriff's Office announced its successful sting operation that took place from March 22 through March 24. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. The Bell County Sheriffs Department, with its partners the Bell County A 60-day sting operation conducted by law enforcement officers from several agencies netted the arrests of nearly a dozen suspects accused of committing crimes Each of the defendants arrests have been reviewed by the Bell County District Attorneys office and all criminal charges have been accepted, the release stated. These were among the 46 men arrested in a massive Don't knowingly lie about anyone The North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and FBI Dallas Divisions Child Exploitation Task Force said Friday that from Jan. 16 through Feb. 10 highly skilled computer crimes investigators from agencies around North Texas took part in Operation Janus, an effort to identify and rescue children forced into sexual acts and arrest the abusers who were trafficking images and videos of those acts online. (Alvarado later told Baker hed checked the bull for markings and brands and there were none. A youth pastor. The operation wrapped up Friday with the rescue of 28 children and the arrest of 59 people who are now facing at least 80 criminal charges. The men face charges of solicitation of prostitution, a felony in Texas punishable with up two years in prison and a $10,000 fine, When you think of trafficking, you think of streets in Dallas or Fort Worth or strip clubs, said Agent John Perez, who oversees the North Texas Trafficking Task Force, part of Homeland Security Investigations. Men looking to pay for sex who responded to the undercover adds arrived at the hotels in Frisco and Southlake only to find police waiting for them. He said people have this "misconception" that sex trafficking only occurs in certain parts of Dallas. Law officials say 15 arrests were made following an undercover online child solicitation operation. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Bell County residents, who suspect or have knowledge of human trafficking or are in need of assistance themselves, can reach out locally to Aware Central Texas at 254-813-0968 or can nationally report by calling the Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or by texting Help to 233733 (BEFREE). Threats of harming another The people charged as a result of this operation preyed on some of our most vulnerable, our children. The men allegedly arranged online to meet at the hotels where they intended to pay for sex, authorities said. Another concern is for potential solicitors or johns themselves, who have often become the victims of other crimes. Example video title will go here for this video. racist or sexually-oriented language. And they are required to reside within the county, which has become a flashpoint since the Loving County justice of the peace in May sent four prospective jurors including Jones son and a county commissioner to jail on a contempt order for allegedly not living there. The Department reported that six people were arrested on the first day of the operation, and four were arrested on the second day. There is no indication from the records that the judge or the ranch hands had a role in the cow killings, which remain unsolved. In addition to the trafficking task force, agencies that took part in this months operation included the Arlington, Colleyville, Dallas, Flower Mound, Frisco, Irving and Midlothian police departments; the Collin, Dallas and Tarrant county sheriffs departments; and the Dallas County district attorneys office. Investigators also seized terabytes of data and electronic devices that were being used during the commission of these crimes. 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