Sheriff: 20 'weird sickos' arrested in Central Texas child solicitation sting





Name: Raymond Shattuck

DOB: 12-12-1984

Date of Photo: 10-22-2014 Officers with the McLennan County Sheriff's Office arrested 20 people charged with online solicitation of a minor over the course of a two week investigation.Raymond Shattuck12-12-198410-22-2014 less



Name: Raymond Shattuck

DOB: 12-12-1984

Date of Photo: ... more Officers with the McLennan County Sheriff's Office arrested 20 people charged with online solicitation of a minor over the course of a two week investigation.Raymond Shattuck12-12-1984 Photo: Fechter, Joshua I, McLennan County Sheriff's Office Photo: Fechter, Joshua I, McLennan County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Sheriff: 20 'weird sickos' arrested in Central Texas child solicitation sting 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

Officers with the McLennan County Sheriff's Office have arrested 20 people and charged them with online solicitation of a minor over the course of a two week sting operation in Central Texas.

Eighteen males and two females — ages ranging from 19 to 63 — from McLennan, Bosque and Limestone counties attempted to meet with two officers posing as young girls online during an operation beginning Oct. 14, McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

McNamara said arrested individuals attempted to meet with the "children" at sites ranging from homes to fast-food restaurants to discount stores, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.

"It's really just about every kind of weird sicko you can think of," McNamara told the San Antonio Express-News.

McNamara declined to say which websites officers used to track the 20 individuals, but stressed that they were "normal media sites."

"We had no idea we would be able to arrest that many people in that short of a period," McNamara said.

Each was charged with online solicitation of a minor, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

jfechter@mysa.com

Twitter: @JFreports