Former Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo general counsel Jeffrey Downing pleaded guilty to online solicitation of a minor, accepting five years of deferred adjudication and a 10-year sex offender registration requirement. Arrested in May 2024 after communicating on Kik with an undercover investigator who posed as a 15-year-old, Downing — who described himself as “a cowboy lawyer” — exchanged explicit messages and photos and offered gifts. The third-degree felony carried potential prison time, but prosecutors waived a jury trial and the judge imposed the sentence. Downing, who joined HLSR in October 2022 and has no prior criminal history, remains free on bond and retains an active Texas bar license.

The judge in the case against Tony Earls, the man accused of killing 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez on Valentine’s Day of 2022, has recused herself from the case.