51 Arrested During Operation Broken Heart In Houston

HOUSTON — A two-month multi-agency operation targeting child predators netted 51 arrests, including a Houston firefighter and a teacher, officials announced Thursday. Operation Broken Heart, which was spearheaded by the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, targeted individuals involved in online solicitation of minors, sex trafficking of minors, and child pornography, officials said.

"This is not just something that is relegated to your next door neighbor or one town away," Houston Police Sergeant Luis Menendez-Sierra, who works closely wioth ICAC, said. "Parents need to be vigilant."

Booking photos of 9 of the suspects arrested by HPD can be viewed here===>https://t.co/HQ0DkY4xzT pic.twitter.com/mmAAvzCQol
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) June 27, 2019

Menedez-Sierra said the operation took places through April and May, and involved multiple agencies.

One of those arrested was a man who drove from California to Houston to meet a child for sexual relations, Menedez-Sierra said.

Many of the arrests centered in Montgomery County, which included a 39-year-old woman who worked as a private tutor in The Woodlands, officials said.

"You can't fix a pedophile," said Montgomery County DA Brett Ligon, where 25 of those alleged predators were arrested.

Operation Broken Heart is a nationwide operation that targets child sexual predators each year. In 2018, local law enforcement agencies arrested more than 60 men and women in the Houston area, and hundreds nationwide for various child pornography charges.

RELATED:

• HPD Vice Announces 16 Arrested For Sex Crimes In September
• Alleged Pimp Arrested With 13 Girls During Sting In River Oaks
• 7 Arrested During Prostitution Sting In Conroe
• Woman Who Tried To Sell Daughter For Sex Gets 40 Years In Prison

Send your news tips and story ideas to bryan.kirk@patch.com