Man arrested after travelling from Houston to solicit minor in East Texas

GROVETON, Texas (KETK) – A man was arrested on Saturday morning after he was found in a vehicle with a minor near the Dollar Store in Groveton, according to the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office.
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The sheriff’s office shared that a deputy was doing his routine patrol at around 4 a.m. on Saturday when he noticed a suspicious vehicle parked behind the Dollar Store in Groveton.

The deputy contacted the people inside the vehicle but could tell something was “not right” about the situation. According to the sheriff’s office, a 20-year-old man and a local minor were inside the vehicle behind the Dollar Store.

The sheriff’s office said they learned through an investigation that Oscar Venegas Torres, 20, had arranged online to meet with the local minor in person. Torres allegedly travelled from Houston to meet the minor in Groveton.

Torres was arrested and booked into the Trinity County Jail for online solicitation of a minor, according to Trinity County Jail records. The sheriff’s office added that they learned Torres is not a legal resident of the United States.

Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said that more charges may be filed against Torres in this case and he urged parents to consider to the following suggestions:

“Know who your children are communicating with online.”
“Monitor social media and gaming platforms.”
“Know where your kids are going and who they are meeting.”
“Talk openly with your children about the dangers of meeting strangers from the internet.”

“The internet allows our kids to connect with friends and the world, but it also gives predators the ability to reach into our homes,” Wallace said. “Many predators use social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps pretending to be someone younger or someone they are not.”

Wallace also asked anyone with information about this case to contact the sheriff’s office at 936-642-1424.