Harris County law enforcement officers arrested Itasca ISD Superintendent Mike Stevens outside his office Thursday, June 1, in an undercover sex sting.
Law enforcement officers in Harris County have arrested yet another drag queen in a six-month-long sex sting in which investigators posed as underage children ……
Oh, wait …. No. …
Not drag queens. No drag queens at all.
Just a straight white male school superintendent and six other straight guys.
Seven men were arrested June 1 in the sting operation, including the 47-year-old superintendent of the Itasca Independent School District. WFAA reports that the Itasca school official, Michael Stevens, was planning to travel to Houston to have sex with the 15-year-old girl he has been communicating with for the past several months. Only the 15-year-old girl was an undercover officer.
Harris County Constable Alan Rosen said Stevens had sent naked photos of himself to the “girl” he was communicating with and had asked that she send him naked photos and videos of herself. Some of the photos Stevens sent of himself appear to have been taken in his office at the school district headquarters.
Stevens was arrested June 1 outside his office and was charged with online solicitation of a minor, with bond set at $100,000. Before becoming superintendent at Itasca, Stevens worked as a coach, a principal and an assistant principal in several school districts in North Texas, northwest Texas and along the Gulf Coast.
Rosen noted that while Stevens has no children of his own, “he’s been around children his whole career.”
The Itasca ISD issued a statement acknowledging that “according to the detective” Stevens had been arrested, but adding that “Until more facts are confirmed, no further information can be shared. The board of trustees will be convening a meeting to review this matter and take appropriate action.”
That board meeting is set for Monday, June 4m, at 7 a.m., WFAA reports.
Other suspects
Also arrested in the undercover sting were:
- Kevin Barahona, a FedEx working who thought he had been chatting with a 14-year-old girl and who showed up at the arranged meeting place with a pack on condoms.
Arturo Gonzalez, a 23-year-old who thought he was meeting with a 14-year-old girl and who tried to run when officers showed up to arrest him.
- Aaron Gutierrez, who worked as a dishwasher and cook at a coffee shop thought he was meeting a 16-year-old for sex and also showed up with condoms.
- Anthony Randall-Jacob, a 26-year-old unemployed man who thought he was meeting a 15-year-old girl for sex.
- Luis Hernandez Cepeda who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex and showed up with condoms.
- Robert Fabela, 41-year-old man who drove from Waco to Harris County to meet an underage girl for sex and who had more than 60 pairs of used girls’ underwear in his backpack.
All the suspects were booked into the Harris County Jail. Some have been released on bond.
Investigators have asked that anyone with information related to this sting call Rosen’s office at 713-755-7571.
Agencies participating in the operation were the Humble Police Department, Humble ISD, Houston PD, Harris County Constable Precinct 4, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Texas City PD, Sprind ISD PD/Emergency Management and School Safety, Montgomery County Constable Precinct 2, Missouri City Police Department, Houston office of the FBI, Texas Department of Safety, Roman Forest PD, Conroe PD, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.