HOUSTON – The Harris County District Attorney's Office, along with several law enforcement agencies, have charged 12 suspects with soliciting children for sex.
Prosecutors said the men range from homeless to lab technicians. All 12 were arrested during a three-day sting.
Prosecutors, officers and deputies said hundreds of men chatted through social media sites with what they believed were children. But authorities said 12 of those men showed up at a home to meet with what they thought was an underage child; instead they met officers and deputies.
"These people are those individuals who are about to touch a child. I mean, we get the ones who chat. We don't like those individuals who talk to kids in a sexually explicit manner. Don't like that," said Lt. Gary Spurger, with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office. "These guys are even worse because these guys have made a conscious decision to make a move to actually touch and exploit a child. These guys are on the edge."
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"They are actually taking the next step. They're not just chatting, which the court found unconstitutional. That part of the statute. They're actually showing up acting up on making a meeting and showing up. We've got them on camera. We've got them. So no, this is shooting fish in a barrel," said Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson.
The following are the men facing charges of online solicitation of a minor:
Edgar Torres, 40
Trenton C. Tibbs, 24
Abdussamed Kose, 49
Levincer Swanson, 26
Joe Arthur Medel, 30
Jeffrey Zelaya, 24
Javier Romero, 27
Wener Sanchez, 34
Rigoberto Rojas, 20
Adrian Rodriguez, 26
Anand Jhagroo, 34
Cecil Busbee Cardona, 46