- A Bexar County man in Texas got arrested for trading child exploitation on the dark web, while out on bail for previous charges of child abuse.
- In two other cases, officers arrested two men; one for secretly recording a child, and the other for indecently exposing himself to a girl of 12 years.
- The authorities at the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office think there might be other victims and are soliciting information from the public.
In Bexar County, three men were arrested during different investigations for child exploitation. One of them was caught trading child abuse material on the dark web while he was out on bond for another child abuse case.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said there might be other victims in the three cases.
Details of the Investigations
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement on Thursday that they’ve arrested three men, and the Child Safe Unit is handling the matter.
The most complex case involves Cedric Wheeler, 47. An undercover officer with an outside agency contacted Wheeler on the dark web. Authorities accuse Wheeler of exchanging child sexual abuse material with the officer, which is deeply disturbing.
What’s even worse, he was already out on bail from a previous arrest last summer for sexually abusing a child, and detectives believe the photos that Wheeler traded might even show the same child from that case. He is facing charges for promoting and being in possession of child pornography materials.
In another case, officers arrested 45-year-old Joel Garza for recording footage of a minor secretly without permission. Someone saw the disturbing images of a child saved in Garza’s phone and reported it to the authorities. Garza admitted to the authorities that he had photographed the child, whom investigators suspect is someone he knows.
The third case concerns 57-year-old Eduardo Terrones Mora, accused of exposing himself indecently to a minor. Based on the report, he allegedly used a car to trail a girl who was heading home, then got out of his car and flashed the girl his genitals. The girl frantically ran home and informed her parents, who then called the police.
Deputies started investigating and found out the person the girl described was Mora. They later arrested Mora and charged him with a felony for behaving indecently with a child.
Bexar County Goes After Child Sexual Abuse Offenders
Officers in Bexar County are really making efforts to go after child abuse offenders in the area. Not long ago, the BCSO teamed up with a federal agent to arrest one man named Thomas Lee Teague on child pornography charges after an FBI Child Exploitation Task Force investigation.
Turns out Teague was using some messaging app to spread this illegal content around. Deputies identified him through an account with the username “Tommy.Williams012.” Records and subpoenas confirmed his identity.
Authorities obtained warrants f to search Teague’s home and arrest him. They later brought him in custody by midnight. He is currently still in jail and requires $125,000 for bail.
A Disturbing Pattern of Online Child Exploitation
Sheriff Javier Salazar talked about the crimes — he tagged Mora’s behavior in broad daylight “brazen.” When asked about the suspect they tracked down on the dark web, Salazar explained how those corners of the internet just make it easier for criminals to operate.
“They trust each other,” Salazar said. “They trade this information with each other, they discuss their exploits”.
This case is deeply disturbing because authorities caught someone (already released on bond for child abuse) committing the same offense again, this time on the dark web. It shows how these platforms facilitate a continuum of crimes against children, from the physical acts in Bexar County to the digital theft and distribution seen elsewhere, such as when hackers were jailed for stealing kids’ photos and posting them on the dark web in October.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help because they believe more victims or witnesses are still out there who haven’t come forward or may be afraid to speak up. Their phone line: (210) 335-6000 or email: [email protected] is open for anyone who knows something to come forward.
This multi-front crackdown on dark web crime is a global effort. In a similar strike against digital drug networks, authorities in the UK recently secured a major victory where they put a trio behind bars for 27 years after they ran an elusive dark web drug operation.
