Merkel registered sex offender among those indicted for child-sex crimes Thursday
A Taylor County grand jury Thursday indicted a group of individuals for different child sex crimes, including a registered sex offender for allegedly sexually assaulting a child and several suspects arrested in a sting operation.
Jarrett Ely of Merkel is charged with sexual abuse of a child continuous and indecency with a child. He has been in Taylor County Jail since Dec. 16, and his bonds total $299,000, according to jail records.
Ely allegedly had sexual contact with a child younger than 14 on multiple occasions between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 27, 2020, while he was living with the child's family in Merkel, according to a court document.
The contact includes him touching the child's genitals over and under clothing and having the child touch his genitals. He used gummy bears candy on some occasions to entice the child to make the contact, the document said.
Merkel police began the investigation after the child made an outcry about the abuse. During an interview with police, Ely admitted to the sexual contact and stated that he was "trying to get control of it," the document said.
Other child sex crime indictments the grand jury handed down Thursday include the following:
► Zoey Harp, sexual assault of a child: Harp, of Merkel, allegedly had sexual relations with a child younger than 17. The child was a friend of her stepchild and had come to the residence for a sleepover Oct. 18, according to a court document.
The victim reported the incident to a parent, including that Harp threatened to beat the victim if the child did not comply, the document said.
During an interview with police, Harp stated the incident "was all on purpose." When asked to explain, the document said, she said her husband was a sex offender and "she wanted to be closer to him and now she's a sex offender as well."
► Online solicitation of a minor sting: Four of 26 men arrested during a three-day sting operation by the Abilene Police Department's cyber crimes unit and other agencies in October were each indicted on a charge of online solicitation of a minor.
Those facing the second-degree felony charge are Ryan Knotts-Morrell, Jacob Theodore Monroe, Skyler Otto and Jonathan Alexander Parker. Each was assessed a $30,000 bond, according to jail records.
Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Taylor County grand jury indicts several for child sex crimes
