Texas Law Enforcement Round-Up: Child Exploitation and Fugitive Apprehension Units

Staff Report

The responsibilities, of the Office of the Attorney General, are to serve as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issue legal opinions when requested by the Governor, heads of state agencies, and other officials and agencies as provided by Texas statutes.

The Texas AG sits as an ex-officio member of state committees and commissions and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the State.

Many Texans look to the Office of the Attorney General for guidance with disputes and legal issues. The agency receives hundreds of letters, phone calls, and visits each week about crime victims’ compensation, child support, abuse in nursing homes, possible consumer fraud, and other topics.

To find out more about the Texas Attorney General, visit the official website at https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/.

AG Paxton’s Law Enforcement Round-Up
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The Child Exploitation Unit

• San Augustine County
  Christopher Scott Tyre was arrested in San Augustine on one count of Promotion of Child Pornography on May 4. This case was received as an NCMEC CyberTipline report involving the upload of an image of child pornography to a social media platform. Investigators seized several items for examination by the Digital Forensics Unit from Tyre’s home. Tyre was booked into the San Augustine County Jail without incident.

• Bexar County
  Joe Anthony Salinas was arrested in San Antonio on May 5. Salinas was charged with Possession of Child Pornography, Promotion of Child Pornography, Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, and Indecency with a Child Sexual Contact. This case was received as an NCMEC CyberTipline report involving the upload of child pornography to a social media account, with the potential of a live victim. Investigators searched Salinas’ home and found clothing from a child pornography image. Several items were seized from the home for examination by the Digital Forensics Unit. Salinas was transferred to the Bexar County Jail without incident.
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The Fugitive Apprehension Unit

• Bexar County
  Omahar Aranda was arrested in San Antonio on May 3. Aranda had outstanding warrants for two counts of Indecency with a Child Sexual Contact issued by the Kimble County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest was made with the help of the United States Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force out of San Antonio.
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• Tarrant County
  Robert Alan Holtsclaw was arrested in Fort Worth on May 6. Holtsclaw had an outstanding warrant for Indecency with a Child Sexual Contact issued by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

California Court Dismisses Twitter vs. Texas Lawsuit

AUSTIN – A district court in California today dismissed Twitter’s lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton, in which the social media giant attempted to halt Attorney General Paxton’s investigation into Twitter’s potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Instead of providing documents requested in the Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) issued in January, Twitter decided to file a lawsuit to stop the investigation entirely.

“Twitter’s lawsuit was little more than an attempt to avoid answering my questions about their large-scale censorship and content-moderation policies,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The public deserves the truth about Twitter’s seemingly biased practices. I will continue to fight for transparency in order to ensure a truly free online community. Any companies that violate Texas law by misleading consumers will be held accountable.” 

Read a copy of the order here.  

Fifth Circuit Rules: Local Officials Responsible for Enforcing State Election Law

AUSTIN – Attorney General Paxton’s team convinced the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reject a Texas Democratic Party lawsuit trying to reinstate “pop-up” voting, where Democrats opened temporary polling places to benefit their voters at the expense of all Texans.

The Democratic Party and its plaintiffs cannot sue to stop HB 1888, a bill passed to end this electioneering by requiring local election officials to keep temporary polling places open for longer hours so that all Texans, and not just preferred Democratic voters, could access them.

The Fifth Circuit has directed the district court to dismiss the Democrats’ challenges.

“Local officials are responsible for administering and enforcing election law as it pertains to polling places, and they must fulfill their duty in order to stave off voter fraud and ensure that every legal vote cast by an eligible voter counts,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The Fifth Circuit correctly determined that local election officials and early voting clerks must enforce these laws, and I commend them for remanding this clearly partisan case for dismissal.”

Read a copy of the opinion here. 

CONSUMER ALERT: Be Cautious When Purchasing Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today warned Texans to be cautious when considering buying from companies selling over-the-counter hearing aids, particularly online or by mail order.

Many hearing devices sold this way are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are deceptively marketed as medical hearing devices when they contain low-quality amplifiers.

Texans should remember these tips when purchasing a hearing aid:

• Get a hearing screening and recommendation from a hearing professional who can tell you what type of hearing device will work best for you.
• Remember that over-the-counter hearing aids are not FDA-approved. Some companies will deceptively state that they are “registered” to imply that the FDA has endorsed or approved them. It has not.
• Before purchasing, research the seller with the Better Business Bureau. Read online reviews and endorsements skeptically, unless you know and trust the source.

Please report suspected deceptive marketing to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-621-0508 or by filing an online complaint at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint.

Paxton Intervenes in CDC’s Shut-Down of the Cruise Industry

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today filed a motion to intervene in Florida’s case against the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for their series of unlawful orders that brought the cruise industry to a halt.

The CDC issued a series of “no-sailing” or “conditional-sailing” orders that crippled the Texas passenger cruise industry and the many Texas businesses that support it.

“The pandemic showed us that the need for stable and predictable law has never been greater. Government policy should not have the ability to destroy industries and eliminate workforces with the stroke of a pen,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The cruise industry needs clearly defined expectations for safe operations and protection from baseless COVID-related claims while the country is reaching new vaccination records.”

In 2019, tourism-related businesses like travel agencies, airlines, bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, and hotels received around $816 million in direct cruise industry expenditures in Texas.

In total, direct expenditures from the cruise industry created almost 29,600 jobs and generated $1.8 billion of income in just one year alone. The Port of Galveston is the fourth largest cruise port in the country.

Click here to view the motion. 

Request for Opinion

Official Request Summary RQ-0407-KP
Authority of a conservation district to change the directors’ terms of office from two to four years

Date Received
Monday, May 10, 2021

Official Requestor
Mr. Tony Simms
Chambers County Auditor
Post Office Box 910
Anahuac, Texas 77514

Request for Opinion

Official Request Summary RQ-0406-KP
County compliance with competitive bidding procedures before renewing or extending a contract for management of a county facility

Date Received
Wednesday, May 3, 2021

Official Requestor
The Honorable Russell W. Malm
Midland County Attorney
500 North Loraine, Suite 1103
Midland, Texas 79701

Notification of Opinion

Official Request Summary RQ-0388-KP
Whether section 81.066 of the Natural Resources Code authorizes the Railroad Commission to address noise generated from oil and gas equipment as part of its annual plan

Official Opinion Summary KP-0371
Application of Natural Resources Code section 81.066 to Railroad Commission’s authority to address oil and gas equipment noise in an annual strategic plan