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An Episcopal priest from a Houston church was arrested for allegedly soliciting a minor for sex along with more than a dozen other men in a sting operation. "Operation Home Alone 2024" was conducted by the Collin County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Dallas Police Department, and the Plano Police Department. The undercover operation ran from April 9 to 11 and targeted individuals who sought out minors for sex online. The man travelled to Collin County in hopes of meeting underage children for sex at undisclosed locations, according to Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner. Among the 15 men arrested was 43-year-old Jason Myers, who was an associate rector at Trinity Episcopal Church of Fort Worth. 10 of those arrested were charged with online solicitation of a minor, while the other five were charged with soliciting prostitution of a person younger than 18 years old, according to police. Myers was able to pay a bond and be released from jail with an ankle monitor. Police said they were able to obtain numerous electronic devices from the suspects and more charges could be added after a digital forensic analysis is completed. Skinner said in a statement that parents should be vigilant over their children's use of social media and online interactions. “Operation Home Alone 2024 serves as a reminder of the potential dangers of online communications for children. Cell phones, gaming devices, and online computers are hunting grounds for individuals who seek to prey upon children and I implore parents and guardians to speak to their children about the inherent dangers these devices present," Skinner said. "Make no mistake," he added, "my deputies remain resolute in their efforts to protect children in our community from those who seek to do them harm and my hat goes off to them, and the investigators from participating agencies, for their work on Operation Home Alone 2024.”The church said Myers was suspended from the ministry after his arrest, and leaders said they do not believe any church members were harmed but they are cooperating with the police investigation. Here's a video about the arrest: Collin County authorities arrest 15 men, including Fort Worth reverend, for soliciting minors online www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A female student at the University of Chicago was able to thwart an armed robbery, and the brave act was caught on surveillance video. The student was walking back to her apartment on Wednesday before 3 p.m. when video showed her being confronted by a man who appeared to point a gun at her. The student identified herself only as Maddi and spoke to WLS-TV about the incident. "I was just walking home from class and I see a man in a mask approach me," she recalled. "And he kind of comes towards me, and I think to myself, 'Just keep walking,' but then we have an altercation." She appears to seek help from other students, but one student sitting a few feet away does nothing but continue watching the struggle. That's when the student grabbed the gun. "I'm able to get my hands on the gun," she said, "and remove the magazine on the gun, and I toss it into the bush." The attacker turned toward her, but she was able to run away. Moments later, he returned in a dark-colored sedan to try to reclaim the gun magazine. He and the driver were able to get away. Maddi says she wouldn't recommend others do what she did. "I think fight definitely kicked in, but I'm in no way advocating of resisting armed robbery," she continued. "I think it was really not the right decision looking back on it." Police said there were other robberies on the same day as the one targeting Maddi. She just wants them to get caught. "I don't blame the campus ... I don't blame the bystander ... I don't blame the police ... they did a great job," Maddi concluded. "I think it's just finding the people who did this attack, because they will do it again." Students told WLS that more crimes appear to be happening to students on campus. "Normally, it doesn't happen on campus," said junior Michel Angelo Pagan. "It happens to people walking back to apartments off campus, so, the fact that it's getting closer and closer to the central hub of where students are is very concerning." Police said they are looking for suspects and will increase patrolling in the area. Here's the video of the attack: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Nevada police say they nabbed a foot-fondler who would sneak into homes and startle women in their sleep in the Lake Tahoe area last summer. Investigators say that 26-year-old Mark Gonzales broke into at least two condominiums in Stateline through unlocked screen doors. He would then find a woman sleeping, stand by the foot of her bed, and fondle her feet. When she would confront him, he would flee the scene. “I will never forget how he crawled on the floor after he touched me in my most vulnerable state,” said a victim of the foot fondling to the Record-Courier. Her husband said she hasn't been the same since the incident. “Since he broke into our room that morning, she has not been the same,” he said. “She is up at every bump in the night.” Gonzales was arrested in Aug. 2022 at his home in Merced County in California and then extradited to Douglas County. Investigators said that the two foot fondling incidents appeared to be an escalation of disturbing behavior by the man. Gonzales had allegedly stolen women's shoes, trespassed, and even sexually gratified himself in previous incidents. The Merced County Sheriff's Office confirmed that he had been previously arrested in 2017 for trespassing and in 2019 for theft while on supervised release. A Douglas County judge sentenced Gonzalez to eight to 20 years for two counts of burglary. He was also ordered to pay $435 to his victims but received 33 days' credit for time served. “These types of crimes are especially alarming to a community, and being able to make an arrest allows the victims and community to feel safe again,” read a statement from Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley about the case. Residents of the Atwater community said the were stunned to discover one of their neighbors was accused of foot fondling. "It's scary! Especially, a small town, from here, I mean you don't really expect something like that here, I know it didn't happen here, but he's from here, so," said Maria Nash to KFSN-TV. "So maybe he needs the kind of psychological help, if he's on drugs, rehab, something. Maybe there is hope for him," said Sylvia Gracia. Atwater is a city of about 32,000 people in central California. Here's a news video about the foot fondler: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

As the threat of potentially being ousted from the speakership slot looms over House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona has now cosponsored a motion to vacate.GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia filed the motion to vacate last month, and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky announced earlier this week that he was cosponsoring it. And now, Gosar is on board too."I have added my name in support of the motion to vacate the Speaker. Our border cannot be an afterthought. We need a Speaker who puts America first rather than bending to the reckless demands of the warmongers, neo-cons and the military industrial complex making billions from a costly and endless war half a world away," Gosar said in a statement. — (@) Greene and Massie thanked their colleague for his support."If Johnson can do so much damage in just 6 months, imagine how much worse it can get. And we have 9 more months until hopefully Pres Trump is back in the WH," Greene tweeted. — (@) GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who last year instigated the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the speakership, has warned that in the event of a Johnson ouster with the currently thin GOP House majority, there is a risk that some GOP lawmakers "might take a bribe, take a walk, feign an ailment, and flip this thing to the Democrats." — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!