Clark County deputy DA arrested on child sexual seduction charges

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A Clark County deputy district attorney has been accused of attempting to lure a minor into a parking lot sex act.

Tanner Castro was arrested on Oct. 13 on charges of luring a child with a computer for a sex act and statutory sexual seduction. According to court documents, a member of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was connected to the internet “in an online undercover capacity” in Henderson last Friday, participating in online activity on a publicly available internet chat platform as part of an undercover operation.

During that operation, software recorded online activity, chats and media identified within a pair of social media platforms. An arrest report explained that the purpose of the operations was to “identify individuals who are involved with the sexual exploitation of children.”

An Online Covert Employee (OCE) engaged with two online screen names in “conversation that turned sexual in nature.” The OCE was acting as a juvenile female at the time and the other user “spoke about sexual contact with that minor.”

The user later agreed to meet the decoy for sexual contact at a predetermined location. The subject provided pictures of himself and said he would arrive by car. Police identified Castro as the suspect prior to contact.

The OCE maintained contact with Castro as task force officers located the suspect at Whitney Mesa Park before the scheduled meeting time. At approximately 9:45 p.m., Castro was arrested without incident. After securing a search warrant, investigators seized a cell phone and a box of condoms from Castro’s vehicle.

The suspect was taken to the Henderson Police Department North Substation for processing. The OCE in the case confirmed that the seized phone was the same device he had been in contact with and that Castro appeared to be the user.

Castro has a court appearance scheduled for Nov. 7.