Killeen police have released the names of nine Central Texas men arrested in a recent child prostitution sting.

The Killeen Police Department's Special Victim’s Unit partnered with the Texas Department of Public Safety's Human Trafficking Program to conduct a two-day sting with the goal of busting men willing to pay for sex with minors.

During the operation, nine men, three of whom are in the military, contacted officers posing as decoys  on social media and arranged to meet with girls they believed to be 15 or 16 for sex. Police say the men were willing to hand over cash, drugs, and alcohol as payment.

When the men arrived to meet what they thought would be an underage girl, they were instead greeted by police and taken into custody. To make things worse, two guns were recovered during the arrests.

The following men were arrested and charged. We managed to find the mugshots of four of them, which you can see above.

  • Xavier Antwon Anthony, 25, of Fort Hood, Felony Prostitution under 18
  • Javier Perez, 40, of Austin, Felony Prostitution under 18
  • Brian Harley Flynn, 21, of Temple, Felony Prostitution under 18
  • Brandon Anthony Lee, 25, of Killeen, Felony Prostitution under 18
  • Dustin Edward Johnson, 42, of Lott, Felony Prostitution under 18
  • Timmy Jones Jr., 30, of Fort Hood, Felony Prostitution under 18
  • Shaun Paul Moore, 39, of Kempner, Felony Prostitution under 18
  • Rakeem Jamal Nelson, 28, of Killeen, Class A Prostitution
  • Pierre Jean, 32, of Killeen, Class A Prostitution

Jail records indicated Xavier Anthony, Javier Perez, Brian Flynn, and Timmy Jones Jr. remained in the Bell County Jail Monday evening in lieu of $50,000 bond each. An immigration violation was listed on Perez's jail roster listing as well.

While it's a relief to have potential child predators off the street, it makes you wonder how many more get away with meeting children for sex when police aren't around. It's scary stuff, but we're not powerless to help stop it. If you suspect human trafficking and child exploitation are happening in your neighborhood, reach out to your local police department or call 9-1-1.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking. please call 9-1-1 or contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline by calling 1 (888) 373-7888, texting HELP or INFO to 233733, or visiting humantraffickinghotline.org.

According to the Texas Attorney General's Office, there are roughly 79,000 victims of youth and minor sex trafficking in Texas at any given time, along with 234,000 victims of labor trafficking. It's estimated that 25 million people are enslaved worldwide.

If you see something that doesn't seem right, report it. You could save a human being from a life of slavery and exploitation.

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