Texas DPS: California man soliciting juvenile sex regionally targeted more children

Published 4:32 pm Friday, January 14, 2022

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A California man was arrested this week on charges of trafficking of persons, a felony offense, in Hardin County.

The arrest followed an investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Criminal Investigations Division, with the assistance of the Lumberton Police Department and Texas Rangers.

The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Dillon Ellis, is accused of traveling from California to Texas, where he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old juvenile and had intentions of taking the victim back to California, authorities said.

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Police believe Ellis used social media to engage with the child, eventually soliciting illicit images.

Investigators said Ellis was actively communicating with at least three other juveniles on social media and the details of those conversations are part of this ongoing investigation.