9 arrested in Arlington during operation targeting adults soliciting sex from minors
Nine people were arrested in Arlington last week during a two-day operation in which adults who believed they were soliciting sex from minors online were lured to a location where police were waiting.
Eight people were charged with online solicitation of a minor, a felony, during the sting on Thursday and Friday, Arlington police said in a press release. The suspects arrived at a location in Arlington where they thought they were meeting a child between the ages of 13-16, police said.
Another person who drove one of the suspects and was waiting inside of a vehicle was arrested on felony drug charges and possession of a firearm.
Police identified the people charged with online solicitation of a minor as Christopher Pintek, 46; Christian Weitmann, 24; Joshua Price, 23; Michael Owonifari, 19; Brian Watt, 36; Francisco Carreon, 60; Enrico Garcia, 25; and Davion Carter, 24.
Additionally, Price was charged with resisting search and arrest and assault on a public servant, and Carter was charged on misdemeanor warrants. Garcia will be charged with possession of a controlled substance, police said, when the department’s lab provides a positive test.
Richard Wilson, 38, drove Carter to the location where officers were waiting, police said. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of ecstasy, unlawful carrying of a weapon and misdemeanor warrants.
In Texas, online solicitation of a minor is defined as an offense where a person — through an electronic messaging system or a commercial online service — solicits a minor to meet someone to engage in sexual contact or sexual intercourse, police said.
The charge is a third-degree felony, police said, unless the suspect is meeting someone 14 years or younger or believes to be meeting someone 14 or younger. In that case, it’s a second-degree felony.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 4:22 PM.
