Four active-duty Fort Hood soldiers were among 11 men arrested during a Central Texas child exploitation sting operation targeting individuals accused of attempting to solicit sex from minors online, according to Texas authorities and court records reviewed by The Salty Soldier.
The operation was conducted in Bell County by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division and Highway Patrol. Investigators said the suspects communicated online with undercover decoys posing as children between the ages of 13 and 16 before allegedly arranging meetings.
Fort Hood officials confirmed the following soldiers were arrested during the operation:
- Pfc. Christopher Matias
- Staff Sgt. Samsus Moise Perfection St. Loth
- Spc. Xavier Alexander Barreto
- Staff Sgt. Ramon Antonio Rivera-Colon
“Fort Hood is fully cooperating with local law enforcement,” the installation said in a statement.
Court records reviewed by The Salty Soldier show the soldiers are facing felony charges tied to the undercover operation.
Barreto, 21, was charged with online solicitation of a minor. Matias, 27, and St. Loth are both accused of soliciting prostitution involving a person under 18 years old.
The differing charges suggest investigators may be separating the cases based on the nature of the alleged conversations or arrangements made during the operation.
As of publication, The Salty Soldier was unable to locate a publicly accessible Bell County criminal filing connected to Rivera-Colon. Public court records reviewed by The Salty Soldier suggest the soldier may be indexed under a different variation of his name in county systems, which may explain why the filing was not immediately visible.
Authorities said all 11 suspects allegedly engaged in sexually explicit conversations with individuals they believed to be minors before attempting to arrange meetings.
The operation involved coordination between Texas DPS, Texas Highway Patrol, the Bell County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.
The arrests add to a growing number of cases nationwide involving service members accused in online child exploitation investigations. While the overwhelming majority of soldiers serve honorably, cases involving crimes against children continue to attract intense scrutiny because of the level of trust placed in military personnel and the close relationship between Army installations and surrounding communities.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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