HPD officer among 19 arrested in sting

Police arrested 19 people, including a Houston Police Department officer, in an undercover prostitution sting this week near Willowbrook Mall and Aldine Westfield Road.

“These types of crimes will not be tolerated out here, and we will continue more undercover operations such as this one throughout Precinct 4,” Constable Mark Herman said at a news conference Friday afternoon.

The Harris County Constable’s Office 1st and 4th precincts jointly investigated community complaints of prostitution in the area, a stretch of land along FM 1960 near numerous schools and childcare facilities. On Wednesday and Thursday, officers conducted several covert operations targeting the illicit-sex industry. Male officers posed as solicitors to identify prostitutes, and female officers posed as prostitutes to bait solicitors.

“The officers would make one arrest, and then, five minutes later, they’d have another individual hitting on the undercover female officer, soliciting acts,” Herman said.

HPD officer Tony James Sellers, 46, is among those charged. He was released after posting $500 bond. According to the Houston Police Department, he has been relieved of duty with pay while awaiting results from the criminal case and the police department’s internal review.

Only one of the accused is a woman, who is charged with a misdemeanor in prostitution. The remaining 18, Herman said, are male “Johns,” men soliciting prostitution, which is a misdemeanor offense.

Those arrested, mostly local residents, are between ages 22 and 71. The bonds set range from $500 and $5,000.

The investigation focused on solicitors in an attempt to uproot prostitution and sex trafficking in the city by reducing its demand, Herman said. He also stressed that undercover operations like these will continue in the area.

“These folks who want to come out here and solicit — you might want to think twice because it could be an undercover officer and we will arrest you, and we will put you in jail,” Herman said.