The sheriff does not believe this is the first time the suspect has done this before and said they are investigating further.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 23-year-old man in connection to a joint investigation for online solicitation of a minor Wednesday afternoon.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said the suspect was chatting with what he believed to be a 16-year-old boy but was actually an undercover agent. The man began chatting with the supposed teen through social media before texting directly.
According to BCSO, the messages showed an exchange of indecent offers regarding sexual acts, explicit messages and other photographs. The sheriff noted that they may find other crime’s on the suspects phone.
“We absolutely have to be aware of who our kids are talking to. In this instance, thankfully it was not an actual 16-year-old boy victim but rather an undercover agent however it just as easily could have been an actual child talking to this guy,” Salazar said.
The sheriff said the man and the investigator posing as a minor had been messaging for weeks, but Wednesday they decided to meet up on the 2200 block of Fredericksburg Road.
According to BCSO, the suspect was found walking in the are and was placed under arrest without further incident. Salazar said the suspect “came prepared,” noting the sexual materials found in his backpack.
The sheriff does not believe this is the first time the suspect has done this before and said they are investigating further.
Due to the recent uptick in online solicitation arrests, Salazar said he does not believe more crimes like these are taking place but rather they are being more proactive with these crimes given the new digital age.
“Bexar County is not the place to be doing this sort of stuff,” Salazar said.
Salazar mentioned the arrest is thanks to an ongoing and effective effort between the BCSO Human Exploitation Unit and the Secret Service.