SAN ANGELO‑ Several men from in and around Tom Green County have been arrested after the Department of Public Safety performed an online solicitation investigation with the help of other counties.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety Complaint/ Probable Cause Affidavits, on February 24th and 25th, the Department of Public Safety conducted an online solicitation investigation in Tom Green County.
Undercover officers established profiles using online chat sites and platforms. During the investigation, David De La O, Domingo Cantu, Benjamin Andrade, Tam Bien, and Luis Ocegueda were arrested for online solicitation of a minor, while others like Joseph Garcia, Travis Kelly, and Terry Fendley were arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child. The suspects continued communications with the undercover officer and elevated the communications to express that they intended to engage in sexual activity with a minor.
They then overtly acted on this by traveling to a prearranged location at a prearranged time for the purpose of attempting sexual contact with a 13-year-old. Upon arriving at this location, they were arrested.
According to information released on the Howard County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, the two-day operation led by the HSI Dallas San Angelo Field Office targeted suspects specifically seeking to meet and engage in illegal sexual acts with minors. All individuals arrested are facing federal and or state felony charges.
Law enforcement offices that participated in the operation consists of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety's Criminal Investigation Division, HSI Dallas Intelligence Program, TX-DPS Polygraphers, TX-DPS Forensics, TX-DPS Highway Patrol, FBI of San Angelo and Dallas, the San Angelo Police Department, the Abilene Police Department Cyber Crimes Division, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Navel Criminal Investigative Services, the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office, Howard County Sheriff's Office, and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine.
Nine Men Arrested in DPS Online Solicitation Sting (Contributed: TGCSO)
Top Row (L to R)- Luis Ocegueda, Joseph Garcia, Tam Bien, David De La O, Travis Kelly
Botton Row (L to R)- Benjamin Andrade, Domingo Cantu, Devon Hudson, Terry Fendley
Those arrested were:
- Joseph Garcia, 22, of San Angelo, Texas, was arrested and booked for aggravated sexual assault of a child on February 25, 2023, and was released the next day on $100,000 bond.
- Luis Ocegueda, 28, of San Angelo, Texas, was arrested and booked for online solicitation of a minor on February 25, 2023, and was released the next day on $25,000 bond.
- Tam Bien, 56, of San Angelo, Texas, was arrested and booked for online solicitation of a minor on February 25, 2023, and was released the next day on $25,000 bond.
- David De La O, 24, of San Angelo, Texas, was arrested and booked for online solicitation of a minor on February 24, 2023, and has a $25,000 bond.
- Travis Kelly, 22, of Millersview, Texas, was arrested and booked for aggravated sexual assault of a child on February 24, 2023 and has a $100,000 bond.
- Benjamin Andrade, 27, of San Angelo, Texas, was arrested and booked for possession of child pornography and online solicitation of a minor on February 25, 2023, and has a $50,000 bond.
- Domingo Cantu, 24, of San Angelo, Texas, was arrested and booked for online solicitation of a minor on February 25, 2023, and has a $25,000 bond.
- Devon Hudson, 32, of Grand Prairie, Texas, was arrested and booked for online solicitation of a minor on February 26, 2023, and has a $25,000 bond.
- Terry Fendley, 56, of Silsbee, Texas, was arrested and booked for aggravated sexual assault of a child and drug possession on February 26, 2023, and has a $107,500 bond.
San Angelo LIVE! makes no assumptions or representations about guilt or innocence of anyone in this story. Regardless of the headline, individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Information on the site should not be used to determine any person’s actual criminal record.
The charges listed are taken directly from information provided by the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office and Jail. They are not altered in any way and may or may not be the actual charges filed against the individual. If the charges appear incorrect in this report, that incorrect information originated in the District Attorneys office. According to the Sheriff's Office, the charges and bail amounts may change after court appearances and may not be current.
The bond amounts listed on the booking report are initial amounts recorded during the booking process. Actual bonds are set by magistrate judges, usually Justices of the Peace, within 24 hours of an individual's arrest and are updated on the jail website.
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Comments
Was the "undercover officer" a minor? IF not then I dont see what they did wrong. Seems like this sort of thing/setup should be illegal, seeing as how they didnt actually talk to or interact with any actual children.
Seems like this would go against 6th amendment rights, the right to face your accuser. Since they are accused of soliciting a minor then they should be able to put that minor on the stand, if the cop was not a minor then there shouldn't be a charge.
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PermalinkWhat a perverted fantasy. To get to victimize a child, and then re-traumatize that child in court. People who lack the ability to understand why we can lawfully arrest a person who is caught "seeking", illicit encounters with children baffle me. Your simplistic legal viewpoint fails to take into account any actual law. You can't just come on here, spout a viewpoint, provide no good argument and expect that without providing any supporting ideas, we're all just going to now agree with you. Be smug in knowing you said what you said and got to say it, it's all you can do.
Somebody who lacks the basic empathy to care for the actual children who are victimized has a clear indicator that they are at the bare minimum, as guilty as the people who would victimize them.
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PermalinkYour the guy who films cops right?
I figured you would be on the side of guilty versus innocent.
We should be making it harder for cops to trap people and prevent them from putting innocent people in prison.
And as I said before, the ones that were online DIDNT HURT ANY CHILDREN. I know what you mean by "seeking" I get that, but the people they were talking to WERE NOT MINORS.
Children should absolutely have to take the stand if they are the person (most likely lying) trying to put someone in prison, if they don't then send them to jail until they testify, or find the accused not guilty, equal protection of the law.
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PermalinkWay to go and get some perverts off the street. No room for them in or community. @The Next One how many children have already been hurt before this undercover sting happened? Ever think of that. This is surely not their first rodeo. As the stepdad of now grow child that was abused by my wife ex-husband I think there should be more of these types of stings. Would you hold the same idea if they where drug dealer arranging a by with undercover cops. I think not.
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