SPRING, Texas – A man known to children in a Spring-area neighborhood as the “Candyman” was arrested Friday after Harris County Precinct 4 undercover investigators say he believed he was meeting a 13-year-old girl near a local elementary school, Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said.
The suspect was identified by Herman as Brian Blaine, 65, of The Woodlands’ Grogan Mill Villages subdivision. Blaine was booked Friday on a charge of online solicitation of a minor and was being held on $200,000 bond, Herman said.
Herman said the investigation began when a 13-year-old girl who lives in Harris County told her parents that an adult had been sending explicit messages. The girl gave investigators access to her phone and social media communications, and undercover officers engaged the suspect online. Herman said investigators say Blaine agreed to have sex with whom he believed was a 13-year-old and arranged a meeting.
Deputies set up the meeting near one of the elementary schools in Precinct 4’s North Central district, Herman said. School officials were notified and the campus was briefly put on lockdown while investigators carried out their operation. Herman said the arranged meeting took place on school grounds but away from the building and that no students were endangered; parents were notified.
When the suspect arrived Friday evening, deputies arrested him in the school parking lot, Herman said.
Because some initial contacts occurred in Montgomery County, the investigation is being conducted jointly with Montgomery County Constable Ryan Gable’s office, Herman said. Investigators have identified other children who frequently spent time at the suspect’s house and plan to interview them to determine whether there are additional victims. At this time, Herman said, officials have no evidence of other confirmed victims but are urging parents or teens who may have had interactions with Blaine to come forward.
Herman described some of the messages as “repulsive” and said the suspect had been grooming the 13-year-old. He told reporters that investigators saw references in messages to younger children, including as young as 12. Herman said he believes Blaine is likely retired.
If convicted on the charge discussed at the news conference, the suspect could face a lengthy prison term; Herman said the sentence could be as long as 99 years. Precinct 4 officials said they plan to distribute a media release and an electronic photo of the suspect to encourage anyone with information to step forward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Precinct 4 Lieutenant Jeff Lee at 832-927-6158.