Anna Caplan
Two months of detective work have resulted in the arrests of 13 Houston-area men as part of a nationwide law-enforcement undertaking dubbed “Operation Broken Heart.”
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In an announcement Tuesday, Sugar Land police said they had nabbed the men for attempting to engage in sexual contact with minors facilitated by online means.
“Task force officers engage in communication with suspects using social media websites accessible to adults and children,” said a news release by the city of Sugar Land. “Through online communication, officers were able to direct suspects attempting to engage in sexual contact with children to another location, where the online predators were arrested.”
The men range between the ages of 19 and 66 were arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor and attempted sexual assault of a child. Three of the accused men were also arrested on charges relating to the possession, promotion or distribution of child pornography, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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“Operation Broken Heart” was a nationwide partnership involving more than 4,500 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. It has resulted in over 1,000 arrests, according to Sgt. Matt Levan with the Sugar Land Police Department.
