Two men face charges of online solicitation of a minor after an undercover sting in north Harris County, Constable Mark Herman's office announced.
Gerardo Galvan, 38, and Alfonso Garcia, 28, are each held on $100,000 bond. Both are accused of communicating online with undercover officers they believed were children and then traveling to an undisclosed location in north Harris County to meet them, Fox 26 Houston reported Sunday, Oct. 18.
The operation was led by the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's High Tech Crimes Unit and Special Operations Unit, working with the Klein Independent School District Police Department and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Klein ISD Police, which serves schools across the Spring and Klein area, co-led the effort.
Officers posed as juveniles on social media platforms to identify adults seeking sexual contact with minors, according to the constable's office. The two men allegedly responded and traveled to meet the people they believed were children.
The charges were announced Oct. 18.
After the arrests, investigators determined Garcia was also subject to an outstanding immigration warrant issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the constable's office.
Garcia's case has been assigned to the 496th District Court of Harris County. Galvan's case will be heard in the 208th District Court.
Several other agencies assisted, including the Houston Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the Harris County District Attorney's Office and Montgomery County Constable Precincts 1, 2, 3 and 4.
"My office maintains a firm stance against persons who prey on our children," Herman, the Precinct 4 constable, said in a statement. "I will continue to provide resources to my detectives to identify, locate, and apprehend those who victimize our most vulnerable citizens."
Both men are considered innocent until proven guilty. Residents who suspect online predatory behavior can contact the Precinct 4 Constable's Office at (281) 376-3472.
