THE WOODLANDS, Texas — A Jersey Village man was arrested at a park in The Woodlands Tuesday after an undercover investigation by Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable Ryan Gable's office.
Hernan Duarte, 35, is charged with three counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child. Investigators believe there may be more victims.
According to Precinct 3 detectives, Duarte contacted underage girls on social media apps and convinced them to meet him for sex. They say all of the alleged victims were under the age of 15 and were from The Woodlands and other Houston-area cities.
"The fact that there are multiple victims tells me that he’s been doing it for some time. Two that there are victims potentially in multiple surrounding counties, so those are huge concerns," Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable's Office Lt. Ken Washington said.
Undercover detectives with Precinct 3 posed as a victim online and made arrangements to meet Duarte at a park in The Woodlands on Tuesday. That's where he was arrested.
Washington said the investigation isn't over.
"There's definitely going to be a few victims in Harris County that we're trying to identify," he said.
He thinks the trail of victims could span hundreds of miles.
"It's possible it could be all the way down to Galveston. We don't know at this time," Washington said.
Investigators didn't say which apps Duarte was using to lure the girls.
Duarte is being held on a $100,000 bond. If he posts bond, he won't be able to have communication with anyone under the age of 18 and he can't use the internet.
Detectives are asking any other possible victims or anyone else with information on Duarte to call the constable's office at 281-364-4211 or to email constable3tips@mctx.org.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Conroe Police Department and Texas DPS were also part of the investigation.