No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In June, Texas officials participated in a three-week operation, known as "Operation Lost Souls." 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The warrants allege that Jones and the ranch hands rounded up stray livestock in Loving and Pecos counties and sold them at auctions in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico without first notifying the Sheriffs Office to find their rightful owners a violation of a state law. Sparks recalled the judge saying, Well, hes going to market., Sparks, whos lived in Loving County for more than three decades, said the first step after finding cattle is clear: You turn them over to the sheriff., Asked if thats common knowledge, Sparks said: Hes a judge! According to the warrants, the reddish-brown cow and calf and the black bull in the sting operation were taken to an undisclosed location to be cared for., Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, King asks Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore so Prince Andrew can move in, Biden Mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene With 1 Simple Hand Gesture, A Nebraska high-school cheerleader competed on her own after the rest of her squad quit. Many prostitutes are themselves victims of human trafficking, Cruz said. Don't Threaten. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, (Jones and the other defendants declined to comment. He knows.. So Baker, a 39-year law enforcement veteran, started scouring livestock sale logs and called up Loving County Sheriff Chris Busse to make sure Jones and the ranch hands hadnt reported any stray cattle to him, according to the warrants. Loving County, the least-populated county in the continental U.S., had 57 residents as of the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate. The backstory of what led to the arrests of Jones, a former sheriffs deputy and two ranch hands in May is chronicled in a stack of warrants obtained by NBC News. "Those who traffic victims are the scourge of the earth, and we will continue to target those responsible for the trafficking and those who solicit sex from them.". They can be subjected to physical and sexual assault, robbery and even murder.. "We had a high school teacher, who is also a football coach, we had a youth pastor," said John Perez with Homeland Security Investigations. Don't knowingly lie about anyone This is the second extensive commercial sex sting operation involving North Texas suburbs in recent months. And an operations director of a large hospital network. Jones and his family members through blood or marriage have a tight grip on the local government, serving as judge, clerk, county attorney and constable. Busse, the sheriff, denied that to Baker. ATLANTA: PROTESTERS CALL FOR 'VIOLENCE' AGAINST POLICE AFTER SHOOTING LEAVES 1 DEAD, OFFICER INJURED. WACO, Texas (FOX 44) Twelve arrests have been made in a McLennan County prostitution sting. "There are known incidents, though many go unreported, of johns being assaulted, robbed and, right here in Bell County, recently murdered," Cruz said. Generally cloudy. "Giving help and support to those who are vulnerable to being pulled into prostitution rings is a great way to start to eradicate the availability of the product.". What's next? Baker took his case to a justice of the peace in Midland, nearly 100 miles away from Loving County, who issued the warrants for Jones, Medlin, Williams and Alvarado. If youre a special ranger and youre really interested in stopping rustling, you dont sneak out in the middle of the night and unload a bunch of cattle that you secretly microchipped, Simonsen said. The Central Texas sting operation from August 1 to August 4 involved Bell County investigators posing online as a juvenile under 17 years old. On Wednesday and Thursday, digital ads were posted to known websites promoting prostitution. A high school teacher and football coach and a local youth pastor were among the 46 men arrested in a massive undercover prostitution sting in Texas, local and federal authorities announced. We will never stop working to identify, locate and apprehend these predators to make our community safer for our children," said Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia. During this weeks operation, one of the defendants negotiated a price but arrived with no money. On Feb. 22-23, digital ads were placed on known websites promoting prostitution. Skeet, hes not ours, Sparks recalled saying in an interview with NBC News. Soliciting prostitution used to be a slap on the wrist misdemeanor charge. The men looking to pay for sex responded to the ads, arrived at the hotels in Frisco and Southlake, and were greeted by police officers waiting for them. Sarah Rumpf is a writer on the breaking news team for Fox News Digital. Police arrested 23 people after an investigation at short-term rentals in Plano and Dallas. The devices are being examined forensically and may lead to the investigation of other offenders and additional charges. I would caution parents to take a good look at yourself, take a good look at the people that you have your children around, understand the environment in which you're letting children have digital equipment in your home," said Hohman. Officers responded to more than 700 messages from 73 different people in response to ads placed as part of the sting over two days. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, co-wrote legislation with Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar to reauthorize the Abolish Human Trafficking Act, which provides tens of millions of dollars to law enforcement and social-service agencies to combat sexual exploitation. You can reach her on Twitter at @rumpfsarahc, Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. "Many prostitutes are themselves victims of human trafficking," Cruz said. 10 men arrested in prostitution sting in Belton; 6 from Killeen, By Jana Lynn Kilcrease | Herald Staff Writer. A police sting operation in Texas City led to the arrest of two women on prostitution charges and 11 men allegedly seeking prostitutes, Texas City police said Monday. It's the biggest roundup from a prostitution sting operation in recent memory and shows it's a crime that's not just happening in urban areas. Anyone who is a victim or has information about other local sex trafficking cases is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733). Example video title will go here for this video. Jones climbed atop the tank battery in December, trying to spot him. "There are known incidents, though many go unreported, of johns being assaulted, robbed and, right here in Bell County, recently murdered, Cruz said. What do you think his plan was?. Officers said they received over 700 communications from 73 different people over the course of the two days. On Jan. 6, the same day that Sparks and Jones chatted at the courthouse, Baker got a tip that the black bull was en route from Jones ranch to the Big Spring Sale Barn. Hohman said it's important for people to be educated on the topic to protect themselves and their children. Williams told Baker the bull was feral and came from the river, according to the warrants. Also arrested were Christopher Bell, 44, of Temple; Steven Gwynn, 59, of Eddy; Danny Reed, 36, of Georgetown; and Clifford Visel, 77, of Round Rock. Texas father sings 'worship song' to premature son who was given 21% survival rate, in a massive undercover prostitution sting in Texas, resigned after his arrest for solicitation of a prostitute, Fort Worth youth pastor Lamarcus Strickland, the Department of Homeland Securitys Blue Campaign. Men looking to pay for sex who responded to the undercover adds arrived at the hotels in Frisco and Southlake only to find police waiting for them. Baker wrote in the warrants that he had spoken briefly with the judge, whose late father, Elgin Punk Jones served as the sheriff for 28 years. Baker made it over there before they could be sold, he wrote. On Thursday, the Collin County Sheriff's Office announced its successful sting operation that took place from March 22 through March 24. (Tarrant County Sheriff's Office). A youth pastor was among the 46 men arrested after an investigation revealed those suspected behind sex trafficking cases in North Texas, according to a During this weeks operation, one of the defendants negotiated a price but arrived with no money. About two weeks later, Baker asked Williams to come to the sheriffs office for an interview. But what do they mean? What do you think his plan was? In May, they all were booked into Winkler County Jail and released later the same day on bond. Some of these were teachers who have direct access to our children. Should the Killeen City Council agree to pay an architect $108,000 to design a new City Hall, which may go before voters in the fall? These were among the 46 men arrested in a massive ", Perez added that this sting operation proves that sex trafficking is prevalent everywhere. The Bell County Sheriffs Department, with its partners the Bell County Many prostitutes are themselves victims of human trafficking, Cruz said. I wasn't a BeyHive member. (Tarrant County Sheriff's Office). "In the past, we have heard public criticism to operations like this that amounted to this is just sex between consenting adults, but thats far from the truth," Chief Deputy T.J. Cruz said in a release. ), Three days later, Sparks saw the judge at the courthouse and they chatted briefly about the bull, Sparks said. Baker, who declined to be interviewed, arrived to find Jones and his ranch hands loading the dead cattle onto a trailer to take them back to the P&M Jones Family Ranch. BELTON, Texas ( FOX 44) A prostitution sting in Bell County has resulted in ten arrests. Randy Reynolds, the district attorney in charge of prosecuting felony cases, did not return phone calls. North Texas Porch Thieves Becoming Bolder, Fort Worth Reviews Violent Crime Response Initiative, At Least 36 Dead After Trains Collide Head-on in Greece: Indescribable Tragedy', LIVE RADAR: Severe T-Storm Watch Until Noon, Powerful Storms Forecast for Thursday, The Pandemic Altered Many Things, Including Alcohol AbuseThese Are the Warning Signs. HOUSTON The day Texass new law regarding solicitation of prostitution went into effect, Houston police ran a sting operation in an area known as the Bissonnet Track.. They were afraid the bull would get in with their cattle, Jones replied. Known as "Operation Home Alone", law enforcement officials used the undercover operation to target suspects believed to have been preying on young adolescents online. The Department reported that six people were arrested on the first day of the operation, and four were arrested on the second day. The law went into effect earlier this month. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, in Jan. 2022, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Criminal Investigations Division (CID) conducted multiple Adult Prostitution Operations and Online Solicitation of Minor Operations throughout the West Texas Region. Those who traffic victims are the scourge of the earth, and we will continue to target those responsible for the trafficking and those who solicit sex from them.. Among the 46 men included a high school football coach, a youth pastor and a director of operations at a hospital. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. A youth pastor was among the 46 men arrested after an investigation revealed those suspected behind sex trafficking cases in North Texas, according to a report from CBS News. 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