Texarkana man arrested for child grooming

TEXARKANA — The Texarkana Police Department said a man has been arrested for child grooming after reportedly sending sexually suggestive messages and videos to several underage girls according to our news partners at KETK. According to a release, Matthew Riddle, 35 of Texarkana, had access to the underage girls “through their involvement in youth sports activities in the community.” Texarkana PD said while they cannot provide details of the case due to the age of the victims. The police department said this type of behavior is used by pedophiles to manipulate and gain the trust of minors in small steps towards sexual contact.

Riddle was take to the Bi-State jail and is bond was set at $100,000.

Child grooming is a new law in Texas that went into effect in September 2023 to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. This is an attempt to prevent adults from developing connections with children for the purpose of sexual abuse or trafficking.