HOUSTON — More than 50 people accused of sex crimes against children here in Houston are off the streets.
The investigation, called “Operation Broken Heart," targeted people accused of making and receiving child porn while also soliciting children online for sex trafficking.
Houston Police Sergeant Luis Menendez-Sierra called this operation a success but said the threat will never go away as long as the internet is around.
Elaine Stolte, executive director of The Children’s Assessment Center said, “They are invisible predators lurking behind all of our electronic devices.”
Dozens of men and one woman are accused of what authorities called heinous crimes against children.
A task force called Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children released results of the two month investigation.
Sgt. Menendez-Sierra said, “We would hope that the arrests would drop because that would mean there’s just less predators out there.”
Last year, the task force did the same operation for three months and made 60 arrests. This year they only did it for two months and made 51 arrests.
Sgt. Menendez-Sierra said one of the suspects, Eduardo Castaneda, flew from California to Houston to sexually assault his victim.
“This is not a local crime,” he said. “It’s not something that’s just relegated to your next door neighbor or to one town away. This is a nationwide issue.”
The investigation also helped nab former Houston Fire Captain Ryan Steckler, who was arrested for 10 counts of child pornography.
“If you’re hurting children or you’re downloading child pornography or you’re doing any of the crimes that involve children there is no mercy. We are coming and we are going to be charging you,” Sgt. Menendez-Sierra said.
In addition, he said throughout the course of the investigation they were able to rescue five children.
Sgt. Menendez-Sierra said they’re aware of the constant threat children in this community face every day.
Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen called out the arrest of Christopher Lakner. Rosen said Lakner is one of the worst his investigators had ever seen.
“During chats he tried to convince undercover personnel who he thought was a teenage girl to help him kidnap children from area parks, breed them to make babies and he would sell them online,” Rosen said.
Authorities ask parents to be vigilant and watch what their kids are doing online.
“You wouldn’t leave your kid alone at the park but yet we give them access to a cell phone that has access to the entire world,” Sgt. Menendez-Sierra said.
It’s a scary thought but investigators said it takes everyone working together to stop another child from falling victim to these types of crime.
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