Conroe horse-riding trainer accused of sexually assaulting child

CONROE, Texas – A riding instructor at a horse farm was arrested and charged Thursday morning after an investigation into claims that he sexually assaulted a child.

Michael Hogan, 38, is the owner of Triple H Horse Farm which is located on Chateau Woods Parkway in Conroe.

Montgomery County Precinct 3 Chief Deputy Constable Matt Rodrigue said Hogan would start communicating with the teen, who was older than 14 but younger than 18, through lessons, then would text about meeting up for sex.

“He lured a young female to an area hotel where he committed the crime which is why he is charged with two counts of sexual assault with a child, which is a second-degree felony,” explained Rodrigue.

He said Hogan is accused of talking with the young girl for months through text messages and Snapchat.  Rodrigue said the girl came forward to her parents who then contacted the constable’s office. 

Now authorities are concerned there could be other victims.

“He had access to a whole lot of kids over a whole lot of time, so we need to get to the bottom of everything,” said Rodrigue. “Cases like this are most concerning because we believe there are more victims  that we do not know about."

PHOTOS: Search, arrest warrants executed at Triple H Farms Ranch

Rodrigue said after they posted the arrest on social media, within an hour, a different possible victim came forward.

Investigators used K-9 Dogs and retrieved computers and electronic devices from Hogan’s Triple H Horse Farm after they executed a search warrant Thursday morning.  That’s when authorities arrested Hogan.

“During the summer, after school we try to find enjoyable activities for our children with the trust and care of other adults, sadly this is an occasion where an adult used that trust and influence to gain sexual acts against them [child],” said Rodrigue.

Another possible victim

The mother of a different child claims Hogan would send explicit messages and pictures to her 14-year-old daughter on Snapchat and filed a complaint months ago with authorities.

“My thoughts on these new developments are Hallelujah, amen he has finally been caught,” said the Montgomery County mother whom asked KPRC Channel 2 not to identify.

She said her daughter wasn’t a student of Hogan's, but alleges the instructor found her information on Instagram through a friend who does go to the farm.

“There’s a whole bunch of us, there are probably 12 of us that are directly related to similar situations,” said the mother. “There are so many victims out there and I pray that they come forward and they tell their story on what has happened.”

This mother’s claim never went past the district attorney’s office.

It’s unclear whether it’s the same case the woman was speaking about, but the Montgomery County Precinct 3’s office said they did receive a similar allegation.

“There had been previous allegations from another individual, however the charges at the time did not meet the criteria for an offense, so the district attorney’s office  did not prosecute during that time,” explained Rodrigue.  “But this is a whole new set of circumstances and different victim.

Rodrigue said Hogan is accused of engaging in sexual activity at a Woodland’s hotel, that falls under their jurisdiction.

Hogan's attorney opposes allegations

“I believe it’s politically motivated,” explained Michael Hogan’s attorney.

Outside Hogan’s well known ranch, his attorney, Sam Cammack, debunked the allegations and said they’re completely false.

“Mike Hogan has an excellent reputation in the equine community and all of these claims were unsubstantiated back then,” said Cammack.

He said Hogan faced similar allegations earlier this year, but was cleared by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

WATCH: Investigators talk about investigation of Conroe horse-riding trainer

"There's no victim, these people were horse boarders out here, this had to do with a horse deal gone bad,” said Cammack."

"And so Mike has been open with the police, he has been open with Child Protective Services, he's been investigated, he's given statements to everybody. These cases were laid to rest," Cammack said.

Cammack is claiming the old and new allegations are retaliation for a bad horse deal.  

“The allegations are motivated by disgruntled boarders who were boarding at this farm,” Cammack said.

He also believes the charges are politically charged because of upcoming elections.

“So I believe it’s politically motivated, the reason why they're bringing these charges up is because that is one of Precinct 3’s main platforms is to  prevent and look out for child predators, Mike Hogan is no child predator,” said Cammack.

The attorney said investigators don’t have any evidence and if the case ends up going to trial the county will lose.

Hogan is held on $75,000 bond, Cammack said they were in the process of posting bond.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to call the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office at 281-364-4211.

Stay with KPRC 2 and Click2Houston.com for the latest on this developing story.
 

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