MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – A Montgomery County man is facing multiple felony charges after investigators say he used Uber rideshare encounters to contact and allegedly solicit minors.
According to the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, Josiah Carroll, 28, was arrested following an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Carroll faces felony charges of online solicitation of a minor under 14 and solicitation of prostitution of a minor.
Carroll is known to also have connections to the Kingwood area, as pages representing the area identified him as a former student at Kingwood Park High School. A former student confirmed he graduated from the school in 2016.
First Reported Incident
Montgomery County Precinct 1 officials said the case began on April 7, when investigators received a complaint alleging that an Uber driver had sent sexually explicit images to a 13-year-old boy.
According to court records, deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call they received from a convenience store in Montgomery.
The call involved a 13-year-old boy who claimed he was receiving unsolicited explicit images via text messages from a man he met during an Uber ride.
The teen said he had used Uber to get a ride home from a friend’s house roughly two weeks prior.
During the ride, the driver — who was identified on the app as “Josiah” — exchanged phone numbers with the boy, reportedly offering to give him a ride at a discount outside of the Uber platform.
Four days after the ride, the suspect texted the teen an image of his face, which investigators identified as being Carroll.
Records show he asked the victim how old he was, later saying, “You’re pretty mature... I would’ve never guessed.”
The teen said Carroll asked for his Instagram profile and followed him on an account that wasn’t directly linked to Carroll’s name or identity.
From there, Carroll allegedly began sending unsolicited explicit images of male genitalia.
The suspect also allegedly tried to arrange meetups with the teen at a nearby grocery store parking lot.
The victim’s mother confirmed that her son had been receiving the unsolicited communication. She added that she was aware of another teenager who had also reported similar behavior from Carroll on Snapchat, although the additional allegation has not been verified by law enforcement.
Officials investigated the incidents and linked the suspected phone number to Carroll.
Based on the evidence, an arrest warrant was obtained, and Carroll was taken into custody by Precinct 1 deputies.
As a result of this investigation, Carroll was charged with online solicitation of a minor, a second-degree felony under Texas law.
Second Alleged Victim Identified
As the investigation unfolded, authorities identified a potential second victim that same day.
A detective with the Magnolia Police Department — also assigned to the Montgomery County ICAC Task Force — had received a separate complaint from another parent involving a similar incident with the same driver.
According to court documents, Magnolia police learned that the mother of a 16-year-old boy would be speaking with them regarding new allegations against an Uber driver.
The mother said she signed her son up for a “Teen Account” on Uber. He had used the service earlier that week to book a ride to a Magnolia fast-food restaurant where he worked.
During the ride, the mother said her son described the driver as very talkative, asking him about school and his age.
The driver reportedly told the teen that his mother had recently passed and that Uber was taking a majority of the fare from his rides.
Because of those circumstances, the teen agreed to text the driver when he needed a ride home from work for $20 cash later that day.
Later that night, the driver reportedly sent the teen text messages from the same number linked to the first victim.
In the texts, the driver called the boy “really attractive,” adding that he would be willing to perform a sexual act on him during the subsequent car ride if the teen was interested.
“Lowkey, you could hold onto the 20 [referencing the agreed $20 ride fare] if you wanted,” one message read.
The teen told the driver he wasn’t interested and threatened to report him to Uber.
“It doesn’t matter,” the driver reportedly replied. “You’re 17. That’s the legal age of consent in Texas.”
Following the investigation into those allegations by Magnolia police, Carroll was also charged with solicitation of prostitution of a minor, records show.
Perpetrator’s Background
Wednesday afternoon, Kingwood.com posted on Facebook announcing Carroll’s arrest and identifying him as an alum of Kingwood Park High School.
The post also references multiple student awards Carroll reportedly received while at K-Park, including “Student of Exemplary Character Award.”
According to a LinkedIn profile, Carroll was a Diamond-tier driver who had amassed more than 2,000 five-star ratings on Uber as of September 2024.
He also lists several other job positions and accomplishments, including reported involvement in a project aimed at “leading [the] fight against [a] multi-billion-dollar development in Kingwood.”
Although Carroll does not directly identify the organization, the listed date and subject matter appear to reference an online initiative called “Keep Kingwood ‘The Livable Forest,’” which focuses on restoring wildlife and reducing flooding in the northeast Houston-area suburb.
KPRC 2 uncovered Facebook posts directly linking Carroll to the group. In one post from March 2019, Carroll is pictured with State Congressman Dan Crenshaw at a community meeting in Kingwood.
KPRC 2 has reached out to the organization for comment.
Carroll does not appear to have been publicly active on social media in several years.
However, an Instagram profile matching his name and likeness described him as a “free-thinker,” “Christian,” and “patriot.”
The account has not posted since 2021. In his last post, Carroll shared a video claiming he was planning to file a lawsuit against Facebook.
The basis for the alleged lawsuit centered around the platform’s decision to suspend his account for posting an image and quote of Adolf Hitler, which he described as a “historical quote.”
It is unclear whether any legal action was ever taken against Facebook or its parent company, Meta.
Mother of victim speaks
KPRC 2 News reporter Corley Peel spoke with the mother of one of the teen victims about the disturbing encounter.
The mother, who asked to remain anonymous, set up an Uber Teen account so her son could get rides while she was at work. She never expected the convenience would put her child in danger.
“Mix of emotions — angry, you know, a little disheveled.” is how she described her initial thoughts.
The mother said Carroll proposed an idea for cheaper rides for her son.
“The Uber driver proposed an idea that he could just pay him $20 to pick them up as it would be cheaper than using the app. And so, they exchanged phone numbers, and this was my son’s second ride with him,” the mother said.
The arrangement took a disturbing turn when Carroll sent the teen explicit text messages about sexual acts, adding, “It doesn’t matter if you’re 17, that’s the legal age of consent in Texas.”
But Carroll had the age wrong — the teen is 16. And regardless, the messages were inappropriate and unwanted.
The teen immediately told his mother, who said her son told her, “Mom, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to do this anymore. This Uber guy is a little weird.”
The mother and her son reported the incident through the Uber Teen account, and she called police.
Sgt. Jerry Surrett of Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office offered a warning to parents.
“When you hand out a cell phone, you’re handing out a worldwide web to them,” Surrett said.
The mother said she is grateful her son felt comfortable enough to speak up.
“I definitely made that report not only to protect my child, but to protect any other children that may have had that same issue,” she said.
Authorities Urge Public to Come Forward
Investigators believe there could be additional victims and are urging anyone who may have had contact with Carroll — whether through rideshare services, social media, or other means — to come forward.
Precinct 1 Constable Cash and Magnolia Police Chief Montgomery are also reminding parents to exercise caution when allowing minors to use rideshare apps and to have conversations about online safety and the risks posed by predators.
Anyone with information related to this case or potential child exploitation is encouraged to contact the Montgomery County District Attorney’s ICAC Division at 936-539-7800 or reach out to Crime Stoppers.
Uber also released the following statement:
“This behavior is unacceptable and has no place on the Uber platform. We take reports like this extremely seriously, and as soon as it was reported, the driver’s access to the app was removed. We have a dedicated team supporting law enforcement in their investigation.”