Convicted Sex Offender Working for Children’s Charity Arrested for Online Solicitation

A convicted sex offender who was working for a children’s charity near Houston has been arrested as he attempted to meet another child.

Convicted sex offender Johnny Lee Hidrogo, 55, was working for a charity southwest of Houston that collects items for needy children. The man was arrested on March 31 on a felony charge of online solicitation of a minor, court records obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed.

“He was communicating with a child and expressed the intent to engage in sexual contact,” Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jarret Nethery told ABC13’s Kevin Quin who first reported this arrest on Friday night.

Hidrogo was working for “Fite-N-Chance” Children’s Foundation located in Fort Bend County off of U.S. 59. The facility where he worked was located strategically between two neighborhoods and was less than a mile from an elementary school.

The previously convicted sex offender has worked for the charity, which was reported to be unaware of his sex offender status, since about 2007, his boss, Danny Riggins told the Houston television outlet. Sand Dollar Thrift Stores runs the donation site and sells the donated items.

He was said to be working for the thrift store prior to his 2010 conviction on two counts of indecency with a child.

Texas Department of Public Safety records obtained by Breitbart Texas reveal a conviction in 2010 for Indecency with a Child by Exposure with a 9-year-old little girl. He was also convicted on the same date for a second count of the same offense, this one with an 11-year-old little girl.

Court records obtained by Breitbart Texas in both Harris and Fort Bend Counties reveal a long history of misdemeanor and felony charges and convictions dating back to 1980. Hidrogo’s previous felony convictions include a 1998 charge of burglary of a building and a felony theft charge in 2004.

Despite Hidrogo’s lengthy criminal history a court in Fort Bend County sentenced him to 8 years of deferred adjudication. The deferred adjudication was revoked in 2011 after violating the terms of his agreement. He was then sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Court records show that Hidrogo’s probation officer said the suspect informed him that he “gets sexually excited when he is around young girls.”

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter@BobPriceBBTX.