FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – For the second day in a row, law enforcement officials announced the arrests of a dozen men who they said were soliciting sex from minors, this time in Fort Bend County.
Twelve men were arrested as part of a three-day sting called Operation Spring Cleaning in Fort Bend County. Sheriff Troy Nehls, his office and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force partnered up for the operation.
The men range in age from 19 to 43, and all of them are charged with online solicitation of a minor and attempted sexual assault.
Task force detectives also questioned a 16-year-old boy. He showed up to the detective's setup, and when asked why he was there, investigators said the teen told them his father sent him.
Task Force agents made contact with the men by posing as children in online social media sites. They said the men then arranged a spot to meet, thinking they would be meeting a child for sex.
Officials also released video of them confronting and arresting the Johns in question.
Christopher Stutzman, 39, of Webster; Frank Villagomez, 28, of Rosenberg; Javier Gomez, 27, of Channelview; Mathew Kieru, 26, of Houston; Alberto Alvarado, 38, of Los Lunas, New Mexico; Andrew Holden, 41, of Richmond; and Charlie Dang, 27, of Webster, are being held on $100,000 bond each.
Alejandro Villarreal, 40, of Houston, is also facing charges of evading arrest, speeding and additional warrants. Jamie Gonzalez, 43, of Damon, is also charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon.
Jose Ojeda, 22, of Montgomery, has bonds of $35,000 and $20,000; Matthew Aguirre, 25, of Houston, has bonds of $20,000 and $50,000; and Charlie Pineda, 19, of Houston, is being held on bonds of $20,000 and $40,000.
Because these incidents started online, officials said parents must pay close attention to what their children do on the internet.
"The best thing parents can do is be vigilant. You cannot be absent in your child's life and expect that they're not going to be in harm's way. If they're on the internet you need to know what they're doing, who are they talking to. You have to be a part of your child's life," said Nehls.
Investigators said they face the challenge down the line that potential Johns would send a decoy rather than risk getting caught when they realize their hookup is a setup.
Alberto Alvarado