'Operation Athena' leads to 19 arrests by Child Exploitation Unit in Collin County
The Collin County Sheriff's Office conducted an operation that led to 19 men being arrested on charges of online solicitation of a minor or possession of child pornography.
"Operation Athena" was conducted over a five-day period in July, and targeted "those who utilize the internet to prey upon our children and traffic in child pornography."
The operation resulted in 19 suspects being arrested, including one juvenile suspect. Three of them were charged with online solicitation of a minor, and the other 16 were arrested on child porn charges.
Authorities say electronic devices seized during this investigation still need to be examined, and additional charges are expected.
"The protection of our children continues to be one of my top priorities," Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner stated in a release. "This type of operation wouldn't be possible without the cooperation that exists among all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in North Texas and the investigators who work tirelessly to root out this evil."
There were a dozen different federal, state, and local agencies that assisted with this operation: Wylie Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, Homeland Security Investigations, Collin County Child Protective Investigations, Carrollton Police Department, Dallas Police Department, Farmers Branch Police Department, Frisco Police Department, Grapevine Police Department, Child Advocacy Center of Collin County, and Collin County District Attorney's Office.