HOUSTON – The general counsel for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was arrested Tuesday after being accused of engaging in sexual activity with a minor online, according to investigators with Constable Alan Rosen’s Office.
Jeffrey Neil Downing, 45, was charged with online solicitation of a minor and booked into the Harris County Jail.
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Downing, who is also a Houston attorney, began communication with a Harris County Pct. 1 undercover deputy constable in April, investigators said. The undercover deputy constable posed as a 15-year-old girl.
During the exchange, investigators say Downing engaged in explicit online communications, discussed engaging in sexual activity, requested sexual images, and also sent images of male genitalia to the person he believed was a minor.
According to a Q&A interview with Texas Law Book, Downing joined HLSR in October 2022 and managed all logistics for the annual event. He also reportedly served as a HLSR volunteer on the Gatekeepers Committee from 2008 to 2012.
In the interview, Downing talked about his law career before serving as general counsel for HLSR. He said he went from being an assistant district attorney, served as a prosecutor and then a general counsel for “energy and industrial construction and manufacturing fields.”
A statement on behalf of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was sent to KPRC 2:
“We have been informed of the serious allegations against Mr. Downing. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a family-friendly organization with strong moral values that we strive to uphold and instill in every employee. Following our learning of these charges, Mr. Downing has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.”