Sex crime sting nets 51 suspects in the Houston area as part of ‘Operation Broken Heart’

A two-month sex crime investigation led to the arrest of 51 people in the Houston area who were accused of engaging with child pornography online, according to authorities.

The investigation, dubbed “Operation Broken Heart,” was led by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force from April through May. The task force comprises the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Constable’s Offices in Precinct 1 and Precinct 4 and several other agencies in surrounding counties.

Houston police released booked photos for nine of the 10 people they charged in alleged online sex crimes. The man who did not have a mugshot, Steven Torres, was charged with four counts of super aggravated sexual assault of child under 6 and six counts of sex assault of child under 14, police said.

The precinct 1 constable’s office accounted for one arrest, Christopher Lakner, who told investigators that he wanted to keep girls in cages, force them into becoming pregnant and sell the babies, according to precinct 1 spokesman Kevin Quinn.