Collin County authorities arrest 15 men, including Fort Worth reverend, for soliciting minors online

BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT, DAVID, THANK YOU. A FORT WORTH PASTOR IS AMONG THE 15 MEN ARRESTED IN A RECENT CHILD PREDATOR STAYING IN COLLIN COUNTY. THE STING WAS CALLED OPERATION HOME ALONE. FOX FOUR'S PEYTON YEAGER SPOKE WITH THE COLLIN COUNTY SHERIFF ABOUT THE OPERATION AND THE SUSPECTS WHO WERE ARRESTED. PEYTON HEATHER. THESE 15 MEN WHO WERE ARRESTED LIVE ALL OVER NORTH TEXAS. BUT INVESTIGATORS TELL ME THEY TRAVELED TO COLLIN COUNTY TO MEET UP WITH WHO THEY THOUGHT WERE MINORS. IT TURNS OUT THEY WERE UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATORS. THESE 15 MUG SHOTS REPRESENT THE 15 MEN RECENTLY ARRESTED IN A STING OPERATION TARGETING CHILD PREDATORS ONLINE, ACCORDING TO AN ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE COLLIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ON WEDNESDAY. THE OPERATION HOME ALONE WAS A THREE DAY UNDERCOVER OPERATION CONDUCTED BY COLLIN COUNTY DEPUTIES, PLANO POLICE, DALLAS POLICE AND TEXAS DPS INVESTIGATORS WITHIN THE CHILD EXPLOITATION UNIT WENT UNDERCOVER ONLINE. COLLIN COUNTY SHERIFF JIM SKINNER SAYS THE MEN TRAVELED TO COLLIN COUNTY TO MEET UP AT UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONS TO HAVE SEX WITH MINORS. INSTEAD, THEY WERE ARRESTED, AND THEN THERE WERE A NUMBER OF DAYS IN WHICH OUR GHOST UNIT HAD TO TRACK DOWN SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUALS IN ORDER TO CAPTURE THEM. MATTER OF FACT, ONE INDIVIDUAL, TRIED TO EVADE ARREST AND CRASHED HIS CAR INTO A VEHICLE OCCUPIED BY A DEPUTY US MARSHAL. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE DANGEROUS PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT OF YOUR SCREEN. FIVE MEN WERE CHARGED WITH SOLICITING A PROSTITUTE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. ON THE LEFT, TEN MEN WERE CHARGED WITH ONLINE SOLICITATION OF A MINOR SEXUAL CONDUCT. THIS INCLUDES REVEREND JASON MYERS OF TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN FORT WORTH. THE CHURCH SENT OUT A LETTER OVER THE WEEKEND STATING THE ASSOCIATE RECTOR WAS SUSPENDED AFTER HE WAS ARRESTED ON THURSDAY. TRINITY EPISCOPAL ALSO SAYS IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT ANYONE IN THE CONGREGATION OR SCHOOL WAS HARMED, BUT WENT ON TO ASK ANYONE WITH INFORMATION TO REACH OUT TO THE CHURCH AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. ACCORDING TO ONLINE RECORDS, MYERS BONDED OUT AND IS BOUND TO AN ANKLE MONITOR. THIS SHOULD SERVE AS A REMINDER TO PARENTS THE DANGERS OF ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS, CELL PHONES, GAMING DEVICES AND COMPUTERS, THAT'S THE HUNTING GROUND. SHERIFF SKINNER SAYS THE OPERATION IS ONGOING. THE SHERIFF ASSURES INVESTIGATORS ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING ONLINE FOR PEOPLE WHO PREY ON CHILDREN. PLEASE UNDERSTAND AND KNOW WHAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE DOING WITH THESE ELECTRONIC DEVICES. IT'S EXTRAORDINARILY DANGEROUS. SO, HEATHER, DRUGS, FIREARMS AND ELECTRONICS. THEY WERE ALSO SEIZED DURING THIS INVESTIGATION. AND THE COLLIN COUNTY SHERIFF TELLS

Channel: FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth

Views: 339,488

Keywords: news, video, kdfw, fox 4, collin county sheriff's office, child predator sting, Operation home alone 2024, undercover officers, child exploitation, Trinity Episcopal Church, Rev. Jason Myers, soliciting a prostitute, Child Exploitation Unit, Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner, online dangers, north texas crime, dfw news, crime and public safety

Id: Y5Sc-JhLLtg

Length: 3min 5sec (185 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 18 2024