Ex-Right to Life official gets 5 years for attempted solicitation
Luke Bowen, former Texas Right to Life political director, was sentenced to five years in prison after admitting he tried to meet up with who he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sex.
Bowen, 34, of Montgomery, pleaded guilty to online solicitation of a minor, signing a judicial confession before his sentencing Tuesday, according to information from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Bowen was arrested and charged Aug. 3 following a sting operation by Montgomery County’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
In a news release Wednesday, officials said Bowen used a social media app to communicate with an undercover detective who Bowen believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
Photos sent
First Assistant District Attorney Mike Holley said Bowen acknowledged he was communicating with a 13-year-old and asked for explicit images from her and sent photos of his erect penis.
Bowen then asked if the girl wanted to “hook up.”
Montgomery County law enforcement officers attached to the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Bowen after he drove to Willis to meet the girl to have sex.
Holley said Bowen admitted to officers he was engaging in sexual conversations with someone he believed was 13.
Conroe-based attorney E. Tay Bond, who is representing Bowen, could not be reached for comment regarding the conviction but had previously said there was no real victim in the case.
“This investigation revolves around a fictitious alleged minor created by law enforcement and posted on the internet,” Bond said.
Assistant District Attorney Kelly Blackburn said the sting is a standard operation by the task force.
The Houston Metro ICAC Task Force is part of a national network of 61 coordinated task forces, representing over 4,500 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, dedicated to investigating, prosecuting and developing effective responses to internet crimes against children.
The lead agency in the arrest of Bowen was the Montgomery County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office.
Following Bowen’s arrest, Texas Right to Life’s director of media and communications, Kim Schwartz, confirmed via email Bowen was terminated from his position with the organization Aug. 3.