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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – After pleading guilty last year to one count of transporting and shipping child pornography, Garland resident Mark Isaac Yetter has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison.

Prosecutors say Yetter admitted to having looked at child pornography for more than a year. He said he preferred porn with young girls in it and would search the internet using search terms like “teens” and “young girls.”

Yetter said he would save pictures on his phone and when arrested had more than 1,200 images and 115 porn videos on his phone and in his Dropbox account. Some of the files contained images of infants and toddlers.

Yetter had been in custody since his arrest in 2016.

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Chris Meehan and Jeff Rich can spend hours of their day on social media. Unlike most people, though, they’re using it to chat with potential child predators.

“I’m in different chat rooms now,” said Sgt. Meehan, of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, navigating a site where pedophiles talk to each other. Det. Rich, with the Plano Police Department, said, “They share fantasies and ways not to get caught.”

Both of the lawmen work as part of a partnership targeting internet crimes against children.

“Right now I’m posing as an adult male with two daughters,” said Meehan.

Within minutes, several people ask Meehan about one daughter’s age. He responds, “Twelve.” The answer is met with questions about her appearance that quickly turn sexual. “How she’s developed, if she’s developed,” Meehan describes.

The detectives follow up on leads, like an ad that said they were looking for “YOUNG girls in south Arlington/Mansfield… must be 25 or younger (younger the better).”

Meehan and Rich also spend time hanging out on sites that children use. “Pretty much any app that kids are on we have a profile set up,” said Rich. The first message they received on one of the sites was an invite to watch child pornography.

• Crimes Against Children Task Force Program

Undercover work like this led to some of the 15 child exploitation arrests announced earlier this month, as part of Operation Medusa. Meehan and Rich helped coordinate over a dozen law enforcement agencies to pull off the sting, which resulted in another two arrests just this past week.

“Both of us think this is one of the most important jobs there is — protecting our children,” said Rich.

The detectives aim to catch pedophiles early. Experience tells them those downloading child pornography are likely to become abusers themselves.

“What child pornography/child abuse material is… is the graphic depiction of a rape of a child,” said Rich. “We look at it, obviously, for our jobs ’cause it’s part of the investigative process, but it takes its toll on everybody who has to see it.”

At a lab in the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, they can pull data from suspects’ cell phones and laptops and store it in a large secure server. They study the horrific images found for telling details, hoping to find and free child victims.

“Today I was sending out emails to my agency asking for assistance identifying a victim based on the clothes the victim was wearing,” said Rich.
They sometimes pose online as children themselves, requiring them to stay current on kids’ lingo and interests.

“One example — I was chatting with a guy and he asked me who I thought was gonna win one of the talent shows on TV,” recalls Meehan, who’d never watched the show himself. “I had to research it real quick.”

The pair often don’t know who they’re talking to until an investigation is nearly complete. They’ve arrested suspects of all kinds, even some that were well-respected in their communities. “It sometimes is pretty shocking to us who they are,” admitted Rich.

On the internet, though, behind a veil of anonymity, predators openly confess their crimes. “I think to them it’s exciting to tell the story,” said Meehan.

During our visit, one man they were speaking with admitted to molesting children, after getting “hooked while stationed in the Philippines.” His youngest victim, he said, was 9-years-old. The detectives were able to track his location to the Nacogdoches-area. With some work, he could be one more suspect they help put away.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) –  Mark Reice Anderson, 62, of Sachse was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in November 2016 to one count of transportation and shipping child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Northern District of Texas office.

In Octbver 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Anderson’s home.

Authorities said they found and seized “an unusually large number of computers and other digital media.”

A search of the computers and other digital media revealed multiple files depicting child pornography, including more than 19,000 images of child pornography and 1,000 videos of child pornography.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A man charged in the death of a Texas college student whose body was found burned and dismembered last year has also been charged with possession of child pornography.

Charles Dean Bryant, 30, of Haslet

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Tarrant County court records show 31-year-old Charles Dean Bryant was indicted on the child pornography charge August 24. The 10-count indictment alleges that Bryant possessed pictures and videos of children engaging in sexual conduct.

Jacqueline Vandagriff, 24, was found burned and dismembered in a Grapevine park. (courtesy: Facebook)

Bryant was indicted in December on a murder charge in the death of 24-year-old Jacqueline Vandagriff, a Texas Woman’s University student whose remains were found near Lake Grapevine in September 2016.

Social media accounts, surveillance video and cell phone pings all put Vandagriff and Bryant, a fitness trainer, together at a bar in Denton and eventually at his home. Investigators say there’s  evidence someone had started digging a hole in Bryant’s backyard. The spot is where officials say he initially tried to bury Vandagriff.

Bryant remains jailed on bail of more than $1 million. His attorney did not immediately return a phone message Friday.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A former teacher of special need students at Garland High School, pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to one count of transportation of child pornography.

Kirk Patrick Keshler

Kirk Patrick Keshler faces up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. He will remain in custody pending sentencing which is set for April 4, 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Texas said in a news release Tuesday.

According to the plea agreement, Keshler used the internet and a peer-to-peer file-sharing account to send and receive visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

On August 16, 2017, law enforcement received a search warrant for Keshler’s home in Garland. While conducting the search of the residence, law enforcement entered the master bedroom of the home and located a nude, realistic-looking child size doll lying on the floor of a closet with a wig covering the face of the doll.

Authorities also saw in the master bedroom a large television connected to a laptop that was open on the screen showing that Keshler was actively viewing child exploitative movies when law enforcement made contact at his residence.

A forensic review of the seized laptop computer revealed more than 10,000 images and 3,000 videos involving toddler aged children to early and pubescent teens, both boys and girls, engaged in sexual activity with adults and other children.

Some of the child pornography files depict sadistic and masochistic content and bestiality.

Law enforcement also seized several pairs of girl’s panties in various child sizes.

COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – Just after midnight Collin County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Plano Police Department arrested a Richardson Independent School District schoolteacher for Possession of Child Pornography.

Dante Schmidt was taken into custody without incident.

Police executed a search warrant at Schmidt’s home in Allen Monday night, after they received information he was downloading and sharing child pornography. During the search investigators say Schmidt admitted to possessing child porn and even showed them the computer he used to download and share the illegal pictures.

Hours after the search an arrest warrant was issued for Schmidt and he was arrested.

While investigators didn’t say what position Schmidt held in the Richardson ISD, Dr. Joshua Delich, the principal at Lake Highlands High School, confirmed Schmidt, 41, was a senior English teacher at the school.

A letter from Dr. Delich sent home to parents said, in part –

“The Plano Police Dept. has indicated the charge does not involve or relate to any students at Lake Highlands High School or RISD. Nothing of this nature has previously been reported or alleged about Mr. Schmidt during his three years at our school. Richardson ISD immediately placed Mr. Schmidt on administrative leave pending the resolution of this situation.”

Police say Schmidt could face additional charges in the future.

PLANO (CBSDFW) – A Collin County man is facing child pornography possession charges after investigators discovered over 200 inappropriate images and videos at his home.

(Collin County Sheriff’s Office)

Alejandro Alvarez, of Anna, was taken into custody on February 8 after the Collin County Sheriff’s Office and the Plano Police Department received a tip that he possessed child porn.

When officers arrived at his home to issue a search warrant, Alvarez admitted that he possessed images that contained child pornography. Investigators later located the 200+ pieces of illicit material.

Alvarez was booked into the Collin County Detention Facility. His bond amount isn’t known at this time.

AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A Granbury, Texas man is in custody charged with four counts of child pornography possession.

The Texas Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Unit arrested Zachery Allen Crawford.

Zachery Allen Crawford

Crawford, 31, could face up to 40 years in prison, according to state law.

According to a news release from the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, Crawford was arrested after investigators discovered child pornography was shared from an IP address connected to his home.

A laptop containing images of child pornography, as well as several other digital storage devices were seized for examination by the Attorney General’s Digital Forensics Unit.

During an interview, Crawford admitted he downloaded, viewed and shared child pornography over the internet.

If you suspect someone is producing or downloading child pornography you can report it to the Cyber Tip Line.

For more information on cyber safety, click here.

CBS Local — Bitcoin’s roller coaster ride may be about to take a disturbing new turn after researchers claim the cryptocurrency’s digital ledger contains child pornography.

Bitcoin’s blockchain is the distributed document that records every bitcoin transaction however, it also stores some non-financial data and files. According to German researchers, someone has used the ledger to store files with links to child porn and other malicious content. In their paper, A Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of Arbitrary Blockchain Content on Bitcoin, the writers warn that anyone using the blockchain could be unknowingly participating in a crime.

“Our analysis shows that certain content, e.g., illegal pornography, can render the mere possession of a blockchain illegal,” researchers from RWTH Aachen University wrote. The study found at least eight files in the open-source blockchain that contain sexual content; three of those files reportedly contain material that would be illegal in “almost all jurisdictions.” RWTH Aachen also found 274 links to child abuse material in the files, about half of those are allegedly tied to the dark web.

“Since all blockchain data is downloaded and persistently stored by users, they are liable for any objectionable content added to the blockchain by others,” the study explains. Unfortunately, the illegal content is reportedly stuck within the Bitcoin blockchain because removing the files would unravel the entire ledger.

As Mashable explains:

“The problem with this is Bitcoin’s immutability — you simply cannot remove a block from the blockchain. Imagine laying single bricks on top of one another — brick after brick after brick. Take one out and the entire thing crumbles. This is good for financial transactions, as it makes it impossible to double-spend your money, but it’s problematic when you have an illegal image or link in there.”

Bitcoin has been warned in the past about attempts to corrupt the popular online currency. In 2015, Interpol issued a warning that hackers may try to inject malware into cryptocurrency blockchains which would infect the computers of people mining Bitcoin. The German study did not find any malware in the Bitcoin blockchain at the moment.

HOUSTON (AP) — A longtime Houston-area sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on three charges of possession of child pornography.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that Deputy D. Dehnert was relieved of duty after being arrested at his home in suburban Houston.

The 46-year-old Dehnert worked for the sheriff’s office since 1992.

The case is being investigated by the sheriff’s office along with the Grand Prairie Police Department, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Texas Rangers and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Additional information about the case was not immediately available.

Court and jail records did not list an attorney for Dehnert.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A judge sentenced a Dallas man to 30 years in prison for transporting and shipping child pornography and accessing with intent to view child pornography.

Hugh Michael Glenn, 47, of Dallas, has been in custody since his arrest in September 2016.

Hugh Michael Glenn (Texas DPS)

According to the U.S. Attorney Northern District of Texas Office, Glenn transported child pornography by uploading an image of child pornography using Chatstep.

Law enforcement obtained Glenn’s laptop which contained the transported image and more than 2,000 other images of child pornography.

Glenn confessed to authorities he had gone to chatrooms and viewed child pornography on the Internet.

In 2003, Glenn was convicted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas for transporting child pornography. In that case, he was sentenced to more than eight years in prison.

NEW YORK (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – R. Kelly claimed Friday that the media is attempting to distort and destroy his legacy by reporting allegations that he sexually mistreats women. The R&B artist released a statement saying that he’s “heartbroken” by the accusations.

Calling himself “a God-fearing man, a son, a brother, and most importantly a father,” Kelly said that the media “has dissected and manipulated these false allegations” and “perpetuated” the claims all in an “attempt to distort my character and to destroy my legacy that I have worked so hard to build.”

Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in Chicago in 2008, but speculation about his alleged sexual misconduct has continued. The #MuteRKelly campaign was launched last month. Kelly said that he is not currently the subject of any criminal investigations.

However, a lawyer representing a Texas woman has claimed that Kelly was grooming her for a sex cult and knowingly infected her with a sexually transmitted disease. The Dallas Police Department confirmed that they were reviewing the claims made in a police report last month.

“We believe Mr. Kelly was aware he was infected with herpes when he passed it along to my client,” said attorney Lee Merritt, who plans to file a civil case against Kelly in federal court. His client said that she 19 years old when she met Kelly at a concert last March. The two began a nearly year-long relationship which included consensual, unprotected sex.

Over the last year, other women have been coming forward with accusations against Kelly of everything from sexual coercion to physical abuse, putting the singer’s behavior under closer scrutiny. Kelly denied all of the allegations in a published report from The Washington Post.

The #MuteRKelly campaign has sought to stop Kelly’s music from being played, and for his concerts to be canceled. Time’s Up has joined that movement, seeking action from RCA Records, Spotify, Apple Music and Ticketmaster. Kelly has not released a full album of new music since a 2016 Christmas album.

Kelly is one of pop music’s best-selling artists. Some of his biggest hits include tracks like “Bump N’ Grind,” “Ignition” and “I Believe I Can Fly.” Kelly has also written popular hits for other artists ranging from Celine Dion to Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

NEW YORK (AP) — Spotify has removed R. Kelly’s music from its playlists, citing its new policy on hate content and hateful conduct.

A spokesperson said Thursday that Kelly’s music is no longer available on the streaming service’s owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations. His music will still be available, but Spotify will not promote it.

Kelly’s representative didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The new policy defines hateful conduct as “something that is especially harmful or hateful,” such as violence against children and sexual violence.

Singer R. Kelly performs during The Buffet Tour at Allstate Arena on May 7, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

It’s another blow for the R&B superstar, who has been battling allegations that he has sexually abused women for decades. While Kelly has denied the allegations and was acquitted in 2008 of child pornography charges, recent attention and a #MuteRKelly campaign has put the singer, songwriter and producer under more scrutiny. He was recently dropped from a concert in his hometown of Chicago, and there is pressure to cancel a Friday concert in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In its policy, Spotify made it clear that it doesn’t tolerate “content that expressly and principally promotes, advocates, or incites hatred or violence against a group or individual based on characteristics, including race, religion, gender identity, sex, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability.”

Kelly’s music doesn’t apply — it’s been defined by its explicit sexual nature — but he’s also written love ballads, pop songs and even gospel music.

However, the new policy also delves into an artist’s behavior.

“While we don’t believe in censoring content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior, we want our editorial decisions — what we choose to program — to reflect our values,” the statement said. “So, in some circumstances, when an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful (for example, violence against children and sexual violence), it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.

The policy will apply to songs R. Kelly performs on as a solo artist or with other artists, like “Same Girl,” which he wrote for Usher. But songs he wrote for other acts like Michael Jackson will not be affected.

Kelly isn’t the only artist affected by the policy. Rapper XXXtentacion, who is awaiting trial on charges that he beat up his pregnant girlfriend, has also been removed from Spotify’s playlists.

However, there are a myriad of other artists who in theory could be the subject to the policy. Chris Brown is featured in several Spotify-created playlists; he pleaded guilty to an attack on Rihanna several years ago. And there are a multitude of songs from artists in different genres that could be construed as hateful.

Spotify said it worked with several groups to create its policy, including GLAAD, the Anti-Defamation League and The Southern Poverty Law Center. It has also created what it calls an internal monitoring tool to identify content flagged as hateful and has asked users for their help as well.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A former Arlington youth football committee chairman is in jail on child sexual abuse charges.

According to court records, Carlos Alberto Guzman is accused of possession of child pornography and continuous sexual assault of a child under 14.

Carlos Alberto Guzman

His bond is set at more than $22,000.

Guzman was a former committee chairman for the Optimist Club of Arlington’s football program.

In a statement, the club said “Guzman left on his own accord in 2016 and that no allegation of misconduct was presented to any Optimist Club member in a supervisory position while or after Guzman was affiliated with the football program or club.”

Here is the complete statement:

It has come to our attention that former Optimist Club of Arlington Football Project Committee Chairman, Carlos Guzman, was recently arrested.

Mr. Guzman left the club after the 2016 football season of his own accord to pursue interests outside of the club. At no time was any allegation of misconduct brought to any Optimist member in a supervisory position or the Board of Directors while or after Mr. Guzman was affiliated with the football program or club.

The Optimist Club of Arlington has and will continue to perform criminal background checks and registered sex offender checks on each and every member in our programs since the late 1980s. This included Mr. Guzman. There was nothing in his background check that would have precluded him from being involved with the youth programs. Mr. Guzman was coaching in Lamar’s 7 on 7 programs and to our knowledge, there have been no accusations presented to Lamar HS or Arlington ISD.

The allegations against Mr. Guzman have been investigated by the Arlington Police Department and presented to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office for subsequent prosecution. At no time has the Optimist Club of Arlington been contacted by the Arlington Police Department or the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office. The Optimist Club of Arlington has had a long-standing program, Respect for the Law, and would cooperate fully with any investigation if authorities are concerned that any of our participants might have been involved.

This is a sad and unfortunate event and the Optimist Club of Arlington does not condone or tolerate any actions that would put children at any risk. We do certainly empathize with the families of any child who has ever endured abuse at the hands of a trusted adult. We would encourage any parent or guardian that is aware of or suspects any misconduct in this matter to please contact the detective in charge at the Arlington Police Department.

The Arlington Voice contacted the Optimist Club of Arlington on Friday afternoon inquiring about Mr. Guzman’s arrest. Considering the police department and the district attorney did not contact us about their case, the club did not have an official statement prepared for the article posted on Facebook only a few hours after the initial phone call.

The Optimist Club of Arlington has been sponsoring youth sports programs for the last 70 years and have been diligent for the safety and protection of everyone participating.

While no amount of checks can ever know what someone’s true intent is, we believe we take what precautions we can take to protect the youth in our programs.

KILLEEN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A husband and wife from Killeen, Texas pled guilty Tuesday to one count sexual exploitation of children and production of child pornography, State Attorney General Ken Paxton announced.

According to the state attorney, 26-year-old Christopher Almaguer and his wife, 27-year-old Sarah Rashelle Almaguer, admitted in December 2017 to uploading videos of themselves sexually assaulting children “as young as eight months old.”

Christopher Almaguer mugshot (KWTX)

Court records show a list of 25 potential child victims from the Central Texas area ranging from infants to 14 years old.

The Almaguers have remained in custody during the investigation by the Attorney General, Child Exploitation Unit and the U.S. Secret Service.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 2019. They each face a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in federal prison for each count.

McKINNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Fifteen men have been arrested in an online child predator sting led by the Collin County Sheriff’s Department and Texas DPS.

The Collin County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday, investigators from 14 different federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participated in the April 10 to April 12 effort called, Operation Atlas.

Investigators executed numerous search and arrest warrants, along with rescuing a child victim in Arkansas.  Investigators believe this child was used in the production of child pornography.

The 15 individuals arrested were charged with Online Solicitation of a Minor.

Suspected online predators busted (Collin County Sheriff’s Dept.)

In addition, investigators seized a large number of electronic devices used by these suspects to commit their crimes, which will undergo further forensic examination and additional arrests are expected.

“These criminals go to great lengths to hide their true identities as they seek to exploit our children using the worldwide web. The talent level, experience, and dedication of the Investigators and Analysts who worked on Operation Atlas are extraordinary and their ability to root out these criminals should be commended. There is no way to estimate the number of children saved by their efforts,” said Sheriff Jim Skinner.

The following law enforcement agencies participated in Operation Atlas:

United States Marshal’s Service-Eastern District of Texas, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Child Protective Investigations, Denton County Sheriff’s Office, Allen Police Department, Carrollton Police Department, Dallas Police Department, Farmers Branch Police Department, Irving Police Department, and Wylie Police Department.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – In the first four days of the Dallas Police Department’s Summer Crime Plan, 50 wanted crime suspects have been arrested, the department said Friday.

Beginning Monday, May 20, members of the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Public Safety and federal agencies including the FBI, ATF, DEA, DHS Enforcement and the U.S. Marshall’s Task Force coordinated their efforts to track down and apprehend the top wanted violent crime offenders in Dallas.

Suspects have been arrested for murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, child pornography, weapons charges and felony drug crimes.

Dallas Police Warrant Roundup (courtesy: Dallas PD)

Dallas Police said in a news release, “Through focused prevention and strategic enforcement and with the continued support of our community and law enforcement partners, the Department aims to reduce violent crimes, reduce the number of illegal drugs and guns on the streets, and to continue to implement our community outreach programs throughout the City of Dallas.”

McKINNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A Collin County man is in jail charged with possession of child pornography.

The Collin County Sheriff’s Office said Child Exploitation Unit investigators arrested Cressan Cushman, 36, on Wednesday, May 29 at his Plano home.

Cressan Cushman

During the search of his home, investigators discovered a hidden computer hard drive that contained child pornography.

The Collin County Sheriff’s Office credited the Texas Department of Public Safety, Wylie Police, Allen Police and Plano Police for helping with the investigation.

The Collin County Sheriff’s Office has not said what led to them investigating Cushman in the first place.

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Lawyers for relatives of some victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting allege conspiracy theorist Alex Jones sent them electronic files containing child pornography as part of a defamation lawsuit against the Infowars host.

Jones denied the allegations during his web show Friday and accused one of the lawyers of framing him.

Lawyers say the pornography was among documents they had requested from Jones as part of the discovery process of the lawsuit.

The families of eight victims of the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and an FBI agent who responded to the massacre are suing Jones, Infowars and others for promoting a theory that the shooting was a hoax.

Alex Jones (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

Jones, of Austin, Texas, has since said he believes the shooting occurred.

A court hearing on the documents is scheduled Tuesday.

RELATED STORIES

Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones Blames Claims On ‘Psychosis’

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(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

ODESSA, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – A West Texas school bus driver remains in federal custody following his June 19 arrest for possessing child pornography.

Reid Derrick Witcher, 45, was arrested after authorities executed a state search warrant at his Odessa home. According to the filed federal criminal complaint, Witcher said he has been downloading and viewing child pornography for about 10 years, and he possessed about 100,000 images of child pornography contained in electronic media. Agents found a binder inside Witcher’s house that contained about 125 photos of child pornography.

(credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

“Innocent children who are sexually exploited physically or through disseminated child pornography may suffer irreparable trauma,” said Jack P. Staton, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. “Under our ongoing Operation Predator program, our HSI special agents continue to work jointly with our law enforcement partners to rescue victimized children, and aggressively target child predators for their heinous crimes.”

Report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through the toll-free Tip Line: 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

The Odessa Police Department assisted with executing the arrest warrant on Witcher. His arrest resulted from a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).