Online Central Texas Child Sex Sting Leads To 8 People Being Arrested

BELTON, TX  –  Eight men have been arrested in a two-day online child sex sting in Bell County, the oldest of whom is 79.

Two of the men traveled more than two hours to meet with whom they thought was a teenage girl, Bell County sheriff’s Maj. T.J. Cruz said in a press release Monday.

Two others are active-duty military personnel, he said.

“Each individual engaged in sexual conversation with a person believed to be a 15- or 16-year-old female and agreed to meet this person to engage in sexual acts for a fee,” Cruz said.

Kevin Wallace, 31;  Harkin Alano, 49;  Christopher Slough, 43, of Irving;  Vidoll Smith, 27, of Temple:  Gustavo Miranda, 38;  Ramon Rodriguez, 24;  Charles Pulley, 63, of Gun Barrel City and Daniel Martinez, 79 were arrested in the sting, Cruz said in a press release Monday.

Slough, Smith, Wallace, and Pulley remained in the Bell County Jail Monday, where they are held in lieu of $50,000 bonds.

Smith was held on bonds totaling $54,000.

He’s also charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Alano, Miranda and Rodriguez did not appear on the jail’s online roster Monday.