This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

FORT BEND COUNTY, TX – A multi-agency effort aimed at perpetrators who seek sex with children or possess child pornography led to the arrest of 19 men as part of Operation Broken Heart.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office operation was part of a larger Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce initiative to identify and arrest persons engaging in the online sexual exploitation of children. In the Fort Bend County stings, operations were conducted from April 11 through April 13 and May 4 through May 6.

Other agencies involved included: the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, the Waller County District Attorney’s Office, the Houston Police Department; the Katy ISD Police Department, the Rosenberg Police Department, the Webster police Department, the Stafford Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.

Authorities found some of the 19 arrests most disturbing because:

  • Johnny Lee Hidrogo, 55, of Houston was booked in April for Online Solicitation of a Minor. He was found to be working at a children’s clothing donation drop site in Fort Bend County and came to the task force’s attention after a concerned parent notified law enforcement personnel that he was communicating improperly with their child. Hidrogo remains in the Fort Bend County Jail under a charge of Online Solicitation of a Child with no bond.
  • Brad Bostick, 46, of Needville has three charges of Possession of Child Pornography. He has three bonds of $10,000 each and bonded out. He is a former reserve for the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office deputy. He had bonds totaling $30,000 and he bonded out.
  • Nelson Lainez, 28, of Houston was arrested after communicating with an undercover investigator and arranged to meet for the purposes of paying to have sex with a young child. He had a bond of $50,000 and remains in custody.
  • John Davila, 34, of Mount Vernon, Texas, is a volunteer fireman and works in the oil and gas industry. He came to Houston for work-related training. Prior to arriving in Houston, Davila communicated online with an agent he believed was a child and arranged to meet her while he was at the training. His charges were Online Solicitation of a Minor and Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child. He had bonds totaling $70,000 and he posted bond and is out of jail.
  • Elias Castro, 35, of Houston, was on parole for a few months when he solicited an undercover investigator he believed to be a child for sex. He remains in the Fort Bend County Jail with charges of Online Solicitation of a Minor and Attempted Sexual Assault of a Child. His bonds total $70,000. However, he remains in jail under a Parole Violation which has no bond.

The photo gallery above shows the mug shots of all the offenders who were taken down in the stings.