Former Texas officer pleads guilty to online attempt to entice Florida child for sexual activity

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a grim development, Seth Estes Vanover, a 51-year-old resident of Diana, Texas, has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice an 11-year-old child from Florida into engaging in sexual activity through an online social messaging application.

United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the guilty plea, which could lead to a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years imprisonment, up to life, and a potential life term of supervised release.

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The arrest of Vanover took place on October 12, 2022, at the Longview Police Department in Texas, where he was employed as a sworn law enforcement officer. The suspect currently remains detained, awaiting his sentencing hearing.

The alarming case came to light when an undercover FBI agent initiated an online operation on July 25, 2022, designed to identify adults seeking inappropriate contact with minors. Posing as the parent of an 11-year-old child, the agent posted a notice in a public chat room on an online social messaging app. Responding to the notice, Vanover, using the pseudonym “jattleson,” reached out to the agent via private messaging on the app. Shockingly, Vanover confirmed his interest in minors and sent explicit materials, including child erotica, to the agent. The discussions escalated further, as Vanover expressed his intentions to meet the purported child for sexual activity.

Subsequent conversations between Vanover and the undercover agent occurred on August 8 and 10, 2022, as well as September 19, 2022. During these exchanges, the two discussed their plans to meet in Florida, where Vanover intended to engage in sexual activity with the “child.”

Disturbingly, Vanover confirmed that the “child” was open to such acts and even provided explicit instructions on the intended sexual activity.

The case took a decisive turn on October 12, 2022, when FBI agents apprehended Vanover at the Longview Police Department. On the same day, Vanover resigned from his position. Law enforcement officers discovered a cell phone in a patrol vehicle used by Vanover.

An examination of the device revealed a horrifying cache of over 230 videos and 130 photos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including infants, toddlers, and young children. Furthermore, the phone contained explicit written conversations Vanover had with other app users, along with child sexual abuse materials.

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The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with cooperation from the Longview Police Department. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

The alarming incident underscores the urgency of combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. This case was brought to light under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to address the escalating issue.

The initiative unites federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved in child sexual exploitation, while also focusing on rescuing victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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