40-year sentence for mother guilty of attempted sex trafficking of child

Sarah Peters Sarah Peters Photo: MCSO Photo: MCSO Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 40-year sentence for mother guilty of attempted sex trafficking of child 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Houston mother, accused of bringing her two-year-old daughter to Conroe with the purpose of selling her for sex, pleaded guilty to three felony charges and sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday.

Sarah Marie Peters, 25, was arrested Feb. 22 by a Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office detective who works with the Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children task force. She pleaded guilty in the 9th District Court and was sentenced by Judge Phil Grant.

Peters was charged with sexual performance of a child under 14 years old, promotion of prostitution and attempted human trafficking.

“The events of this case are hard to believe - that a mom would willingly expose her own daughter to this type of danger. And without the proactive work of (the detectives) and the ICAC Task Force, this child would have become a victim to the worse type of abuse,” Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Special Crimes Bureau Chief Tyler Dunman said in a release concerning the sentencing. “Our citizens must realize this type of activity happens in our community. We need the community to be vigilant and report to law enforcement any activity they see/hear where a child might be in danger of abuse or sexual exportation. We are very fortunate to have this team of dedicated law enforcement professionals working so diligently for the safety of our children and community.”

Additionally, Peters was sentenced to 20 years TDCJ on the other two charges. These sentences will run concurrently and Peters will not be eligible for parole on the Sexual Performance of a Child case until 2038.

An ICAC detective contacted the woman identified as Peters through a social media website and during conversations, Peters allegedly sent inappropriate photos of young girls without clothing and eventually sent a message to the detective asking, “Know of any guys that would pay to have fun with (the victim,)” court documents allege.

“The detective advised they would pay $1,200 for Peters to travel to Conroe with the child for an alleged sexual encounter,” the arrest report stated.

Members of the ICAC task force traveled to the Greyhound bus station in Houston where they observed Peters and the child board the bus and followed the bus until it arrived in Conroe.

According to court documents, Peters and the child were taken to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and the child was released to Child Protective Services. Peters was interviewed by investigators and eventually transported to the Montgomery County Jail.

“This case represents yet another example of the dedicated work of Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, Special Agents with Homeland Security and other members of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children/Child Exploitation taskforce which resulted in the proactive protection of a young child,” Prosecutor Laura Bond said.

jennifer.summer@hcnonline.com