North Texans Arrested in Multi-Agency Operation Targeting Online Predators

FORT WORTH — Nearly a dozen people were arrested during Operation Heatwave, a multi-agency effort led by the Fort Worth Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.

Between August 7 and 9, the operation identified and arrested 10 North Texans and one Australian who were seeking to engage in illegal sexual activity with minors. Undercover agents used various online platforms to communicate with suspects, resulting in multiple arrests and disrupting exploitation attempts.

“We want to send a clear message: We will not tolerate any attempt to harm our children,” said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes. “The Fort Worth Police Department, along with our dedicated partners, will continue to use all the resources at our disposal to target these offenders and bring them to justice. I want to thank all the officers and agents involved in this operation for their hard work and dedication.”

The arrested suspects are:

• 25-year-old Alexis Javier Sanchez Monreal from Dallas
• Anthony Harold Knox, 56, of Fort Worth
• 31-year-old Cesar Ignacio Hernandez Perez, of Arlington
• 42 year old Craig Bridgland from Australia
• Daniel Carlos Ramos, 40, of Fort Worth
• Donte Tejuan Zachary, 44, of Fort Worth
• 33-year-old Jonathan Hayden Pond, of Fort Worth
• Jose Luis Estrada Jr., 42, of Krum
• 21 year old Joseph Thomas Milarski from Bedford
• Ralph Edward Hoskins, 32, of Arlington
• Todd Brian Behney, 53, of Fort Worth

The operation involved the Fort Worth Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Unit, Directed Response Unit, Intelligence Unit, Real-Time Crime Center and Electronic Surveillance Unit.

The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, the Haltom City Police Department, the North Richland Hills Police Department, the Irving Police Department, the Keller Police Department, the Mansfield Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation collaborated on the operation.

Authorities saw the success of the operation as evidence of law enforcement’s commitment to protecting children and combating online exploitation through collaborative efforts.