Nearly a dozen men were caught in the net of a North Texas law enforcement operation aimed at arresting people actively seeking sex from minors online.
Fort Worth Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit conducted a two-day undercover operation in December, arresting 10 men who allegedly believed they were meeting up with an underage girl. Officers from the North Richland Hills Police, Irving Police Department, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, and agents from federal and state agencies assisted in what was dubbed “Operation St. Nick.”
While most of the suspects hail from the North Texas region, a few, including 42-year-old James Byrd, are from Central Texas. As covered by The Dallas Express, Byrd was a history teacher at Bastrop ISD’s Cedar Creek High School at the time of his arrest. He added to the growing list of recent scandals involving educators and students in Texas.
The other men taken into custody during last month’s sting include:
- 35-year-old Brent Cutler of Sherman
- 30-year-old Peyton Hanshew of Hico
- 39-year-old Michael Jordan of Frisco
- 58-year-old Mark Millsap of Burleson
- 23-year-old Seth Marin of Fort Worth
- 37-year-old Salik Sandal of Garland
- 50-year-old Andrea Williams of Dallas
- 30-year-old Deon Young of Irving
- 51-year-old Jerry Zucker of Azle
While all suspects face one count of online solicitation of a minor, some have been charged with additional offenses.
Arresting officers allegedly found methamphetamine in Jordan’s possession, alongside a fake handgun, which got him a manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance charge. Cutler allegedly had child pornography on his cell phone. His charge was enhanced accordingly.
Dallas police are investigating Marin for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old in an unrelated case. For his part, Zucker is a registered sex offender who has a 2019 conviction for child sexual assault and indecency involving a 14-year-old girl, according to the registry.
Child sexual predators have been targeted in several sex stings conducted across the state. Of the 14 sex offenses reported in Dallas as of January 11 of this year, eight involved minors, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Last year, 16 was the median age of the 741 sex offense victims logged. Nearly all of them were female. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of victims were either black or Hispanic.
Dallas police have been laboring under a significant manpower shortage and currently field only around 3,000 officers. This is considerably fewer than the 4,000 recommended in a prior City report. Budgeting only $654 million dollars for the department this year, City officials plan on spending considerably less than other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
As extensively covered by The Dallas Express, the effects of this officer shortage are most apparent in Downtown Dallas, which has become a hot spot for crime. When compared to Fort Worth’s downtown area, which is patrolled by a special police unit and private security guards, Downtown Dallas sees considerably higher rates of crime.