An East Texas man is now behind bars in the Smith County Jail after he allegedly tried to groom a child and send pornographic videos to the person, he thought was underage. What the suspect didn’t know was that there was actually an undercover sting operation that was going on. 

According to KTRE, the suspect who was taken into custody is Andrew Michael Holmans a resident of Jacksonville, Texas who is 38 years old. Holmans was using an app that is known to be used by those attempting to meet and abuse minors.  

HOLMANS, ANDREW MICHEAL
Photo courtesy of Smith County Jail Records
loading...

The Conversations Started Just Weeks Ago 

It began on Thursday, August 8th when Holmans is believed to have sent the first message asking for a selfie and giving the detective his phone number. His questions got more sexual in nature, and he did state that he was married. It didn’t take long until Holmans wanted to take things to the next level, as he asked to meet who he thought was a 15-year-old girl in Tyler, Texas on Thursday, August 22nd. That is when law enforcement took a more active approach to apprehend the suspect. 

KKTX FM logo
Get our free mobile app

Facing 3 Very Serious Felony Charges 

According to Smith County Jail records, Holmans is still in custody facing three charges each with a $500,000 bond. The charges include child grooming, online solicitation of a minor/sexual conduct and authorizing or inducing a child to engage in sexual conduct.  

No one likes hearing about this type of crime happening in East Texas, but we appreciate our law enforcement officers trying to put an end to it.  

6 Texas Prisons Housing Violent Criminals

After being convicted of a very serious crime Texas inmates could find themselves inside one of these Texas Prisons.

Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins

America Behind Bars: State Rankings for Prison Population Growth

With many states experiencing corrections officer shortages and no shortage of criminals willing to land themselves behind bars, some states are closely monitoring prison populations and searching for solutions. Other states have thrown caution to the wind and more lawbreakers into prison, with a southern state leading the way, growing its incarcerated population by over 14% from 2021 to 2022, according to a study conducted by H&P Law. Let's countdown to the state with the largest percentage growth of residents housed in prison.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

More From KKTX FM