A teacher from Texas drove over 1,500 miles to Fairfax County earlier this month with the expectation that he would have illegal sexual contact with a minor, local police say.
David Ortiz, 32, was arrested Friday (Jan. 12) as part of the Fairfax County Police Department’s ongoing crackdown on online sexual solicitations of juveniles, known as “Operation ADC Express 2,” according to a news release published today (Tuesday).
According to police, Ortiz “began having sexually related chats online” in December with a Child Exploitation Unit detective who was posing as a juvenile. The FCPD previously shared that, for the operation, detectives presented themselves on online platforms as 13 or 14-year-old teens.
“On January 10, the man indicated he was driving from Texas to Fairfax County to have an illicit meeting,” the FCPD said. “On Friday, David Ortiz, 32, of Texas, was arrested by detectives from our Street Crimes Unit.”
The department confirmed that the arrest occurred in Fairfax County but didn’t provide any more specifics about the exact location.
Ortiz is a high school band teacher for the United Independent School District, the public school system for Webb County, Texas, that’s headquartered in Laredo, according to the FCPD, which says it has been in contact with authorities in Texas.
Currently in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center with no bond, Ortiz has been charged with production of child sexual abuse material, multiple counts of using a communication device to solicit a minor and attempted indecent liberties with a minor.
Ortiz is the 11th person arrested as a result of the sting operation, which began on Dec. 18. The FCPD announced on Dec. 28 that 10 men had collectively been charged with 25 felonies related to solicting individuals they believed were under 15 years old.
“Parents are urged to closely monitor their children’s online activities and use available security settings to prevent the use of inappropriate sites or platforms,” the police department said. “Children should be encouraged to report any person engaging in inappropriate conversations or trying to coerce them into providing sexually explicit images of themselves.”