An ETX County takes an ‘aggressive stance’ on child predators

HENDERSON COUNTY – The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office has taken an “aggressive stance” to arrest child predators and keep East Texas safe.

Our news partner, KETK, visited with Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse, who makes sure his team is keeping the local community protected and raising awareness for victims of abuse.

“We have seen a rise. I think it’s the aggressive stance we have taken and the Crimes Against Children Task Force that was formed. We knew when it was formed that we would work more cases than we were originally…We knew the case load would go up… when you work one of these crimes, you do the interviews and start gathering physical and digital evidence, a lot of the times you get more and more victims,” Hillhouse said.

He also said that although these are serious crimes against children, every Texan has the ability to post bond when they are first arrested.

“Everybody in the state of Texas, on their initial arrest, is able to post bond,” Hillhouse said. “A bond is not used for punishment, it’s strictly used to promise to appear in court. The only instance a judge can deny a bond amount on an initial arrest would be a capital murder offense.”

For now, the only reason a judge can deny bond is capital murder but Hillhouse explained that the courts regularly gather to improve the the bail system. “Every two years they look over bail reform and legislature studies to make the bonding procedure better,” Hillhouse said.

With many victims coming forward and child predators being arrested, Hillhouse said that the amazing organization, Henderson County Help Center, (HCHC) is a huge resource for the community.

This nonprofit provides essential services for individuals and families including:

Help line: Financial resource referrals and information

Abstinence Program: For Henderson County teens

HELPing crime victims: Through crisis and beyond

OVAG: Other victims assistance grants

Maggie’s House: Children’s Advocacy Center

“We are lucky to have our task force housed at the help center so they are easily accessible if the help center has a concern they contact an investigator that’s already there in the office and see if there is another case that needs to be worked,” Hillhouse said.

The Henderson County Commissioners Court declared April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month but Hillhouse and Henderson County officials believe protecting children should be talked about every month.

“Protecting our children is one of the most important things we can do as a community,” Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney said. “This proclamation is a call to action — not just for agencies and officials, but for every person in Henderson County. If we all stay aware, stay involved, and support families, we can help break the cycle of abuse and give every child the chance to grow up safe and strong.”