SAN ANTONIO — On Monday morning, a Bexar County Grand Jury indicted seven men who were arrested during a four-day operation seeking to find people soliciting sexual acts from minors, according to the Bexar County District Attorney's office.
During the August operation, investigators said they posed as minors under the age of 16 on different dating apps such as Tinder, Grindr, Mocospace and others.
The investigators said all the men who were arrested expressed a desire to engage in sexual activity with the victims they believed were minors.
When the suspects showed up to various locations with the intent to engage in the sexual acts, the DA's office said they were arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor with intent to meet and engage in sexual contact --- which is a second degree felony.
The DA says the following men were arrested:
- Jason Byers, 48, of San Antonio
- Joe Feist, 68, of San Antonio
- James Pirtle, 50, of Lytle
- Michael Poblano, 43, of San Antonio
- Andrew Rivera, 32, of San Antonio
- Santiago Rodriguez, 53, of San Antonio
- Martin Villarreal, 57, of San Antonio
The cases are being prosecuted by the Public Integrity and Cyber Crime Division. Other agencies that assisted in the investigations include the Texas Department of Public Safety, Air Force Office of Special Operations and the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, the DA said.