Arrest
Arrest Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Two Fort Hood soldiers were among the nine people arrested during a two-day child prostitution sting Saturday, said a report from ABC affiliate KXXV.

Both the Killeen Police Department Special Victim's Unit and the Texas Department of Public Safety Human Trafficking Program were involved in the effort to bust the child prostitution ring.

Other than the two Fort Hood soldiers, one more military man was also arrested in the child prostitution sting operation, reported New York Post.

According to the police, the Fort Hood soldiers and the seven other men contacted officers to allegedly try and pay minors aged 15 to 16 to engage in sexual acts.

"The overall goal of this joint effort was to locate and arrest subjects who were willing to make overt efforts to pay minors to engage in sexual acts," said the police.

The suspects contacted the officers through various social media sites and made agreements with the authorities. According to the Killeen Police Department's release on Monday, they were willing to pay fees that included money, drugs, and or alcohol.

The arrest of the nine men, including those in the military, was done without incident. The men were arrested when they arrived at a pre-determined location, reported another ABC affiliate KVIA 7.

According to KTEM News Radio 14, the men came to the location expecting to see a teen but were instead met by police and taken into custody.

The operation was concluded on Saturday, August 8.

What were the charges?

On top of the charges link to child prostitution, there were also two guns found on the suspects during the bust.

Of the nine men identified in the child prostitution bust, seven of them face charges of felony prostitution under 18. Here are the men who face those charges:

  • Anthony Xavier Antwon, 25, Fort Hood
  • Timmy Jones Jr., 30, Fort Hood
  • Javier Perez, 40, Austin
  • Brian Harley Flynn, 21, Temple
  • Brandon Anthony Lee, 25, Killeen
  • Dustin Edward Johnson, 42, Lott
  • Shaun Paul Moore, 39, Kempner

Two men also face charges of Class A prostitution: Rakeem Jamal Nelson, 28, and Pierre Jean of Kileen, 32. They are both from Killeen, Texas.

Antwon and Jones are the Fort Hood stationed soldiers, while Jean is the other military man stationed in San Antonio, Texas.

Jail records state that three men: Antwon, Perez, Flynn, and Jones all stayed in the Bell County Jail on Monday evening with a $50,000 bond each.

There was also an immigration violation listed on Perez's jail roster.

Police Issues Reminders on Caution

While it is a relief for the police officers that the potential child predators are off the street, they also want the public to be wary about sex trafficking schemes.

According to data from the Texas Attorney General's Office, there are roughly 79,000 victims of minor sex trafficking in Texas.

Ofelia Miramontez of Killeen police public affairs said, "If you see something, say something."

She also told residents to report any suspicious activity to local 9-1-1 emergency centers.

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