HILLSBORO, Wis. – Hillsboro Police Chief Pat Clark reports that a Texas teen has been arrested in relation to an online sexual exploitation case his department began investigating in September of last year. At that time Clark said they received information that a teen who resides in Hillsboro may have been the victim of sexual exploitation and began an investigation. Further investigation identified 17-year-old Pablo Lee Jimenez Cruz in Longview, Texas as a suspect.
Hillsboro Police continued the investigation working with the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Hillsboro Area School District and the Longview Police Department in Texas. Authorities in Texas executed a search warrant at the suspects home and took him into custody. As part of the investigation they also seized numerous electronic devices and identified other potential victims in Illinois and new York.
Authorities state that Jimenez Cruz will be charged as an adult in Texas. The investigation is ongoing and local authorities will be referring Jimenez Cruz to the Vernon County District Attorneys Office.
Hillsboro and Vernon County authorities encourage parents to have discussions with their children about online predators and the risk of talking to unfamiliar people through social media.
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