September 3, 2010

MANSFIELD - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's Cyber Crimes Unit has arrested Jay T. Harvill, 35, of Mansfield, for using the Internet to prey on children.

According to State investigators, Harvill initiated and conducted sexually graphic online chats with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The "girl" was actually an undercover police officer with the Cyber Crimes Unit. Harvill faces a third-degree felony count of online solicitation of a minor.

"Dangerous predators are using Internet chat rooms, personal Web pages and social networking sites to exploit young Texans," Attorney General Abbott said. "Today's arrest is particularly troubling because it involves a high school teacher who is charged with using the Internet to prey on children. Texas parents must monitor their children's online communications and work vigilantly to keep them safe online."

If convicted, Harvill faces two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. At the time of his arrest, Harvill indicated he was a high school teacher and coach of volleyball and softball in the Mansfield ISD. The school immediately suspended Harvill and removed him from campus.

Attorney General Abbott has earned a national reputation for aggressively arresting and prosecuting online child predators. In 2003, he created the Cyber Crimes Unit, which protects children from online sexual exploitation. The Cyber Crimes Unit and the Fugitive Unit, which locates sex offenders who have violated the terms of their parole and could be stalking children, have combined to arrest more than 2,000 sex offenders.