AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) investigators successfully executed a search warrant which led to the arrest of Garrett Peterson Pharr, 26, of Copperas Cove, for one count of Online Solicitation of a Minor.

A CEU investigator received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which reported that the defendant was communicating with female children in a sexually explicit manner and distributing sexually explicit material to female children via an online communication service. The investigation revealed that the reported person received nude images from a female child identified as being 16-years-old. CEU Investigators also executed a search warrant for digital evidence at Pharr’s residence resulting in the discovery of multiple digital storage devices. During a subsequent interview with investigators, Pharr confessed to communicating in a sexually explicit manner with female children. Pharr also confessed to distributing pornography to and receiving nude images of the female children.

“Today, we can say another individual who has been arrested no longer poses a threat to the children of Texas, thanks to efforts of the Child Exploitation Unit,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Protecting our children and our communities is one of the most important jobs we have. These predators represent the very worst of our society, and I commend the CEU and law enforcement professionals who dedicate themselves to taking them off our streets.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office works to protect children by taking child predators off the Internet and putting them into jail. This agency proactively seeks out and arrests predators who commit crimes against children using technology and the Internet. The office utilizes the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators on the Internet.

 Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to realize the risks our children face online, and take steps to help ensure their children’s safety. For more information on cyber safety, please visit: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cj/cyber-safety.