North Texas man accused of sexually assaulting child while out on bond for previous child sex charge
Man faces more child sex crimes while out on bond
Eduardo Martinez was wearing an ankle monitor for the first child sex charge. Police say when he met with an underage girl while out on bond, he tried to explain the ankle monitor, telling her he was "tricked" into meeting a girl "who lied about their age."
WEATHERFORD, Texas - A North Texas man is facing child sex charges allegedly committed while wearing an ankle monitor from another case just months earlier.
The first case stems from a YouTube streamer doing a sting operation. The second case is in Tarrant County.
The 25-year-old suspect from Grand Prairie allegedly had to explain to the 16-year-old girl what his ankle monitor was for, saying he was "tricked."
What we know:
Eduardo Martinez, 25, was charged by the Weatherford Police Department last October for online solicitation of a minor/ sexual conduct.
While out on bond, he faces a new charge by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office for sexual performance of a child/ producing sexual performance video.
Weatherford police say an independent YouTube group organized a sting operation last October and led Martinez to think he was meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex. Police say the YouTuber’s evidence led to the arrest.
Eduardo Martinez's mugshot from Oct. 2024 arrest (Parker County Jail)
Then, three months later, while out on bond on Jan. 29, a new arrest warrant was signed for Martinez in Tarrant County.
A 16-year-old girl claimed Martinez reached out to her on social media. After exchanging messages, the two allegedly had sex multiple times, according to investigators.
Martinez reportedly had to explain why he was wearing an ankle monitor, police say. The girl told investigators that Martinez said he was "tricked" into meeting a girl who "lied about their age."
According to the arrest affidavit, the 16-year-old girl identified Martinez's vehicle, saying it was a white pickup truck with a sticker of a pink bunny known as "Cooky" that's associated with the Korean pop group, BTS.
A FLOCK search of the vehicle's license plate showed a white pickup truck with a pink bunny sticker, like the one the girl described. That vehicle was registered to Martinez.
Once they tracked Martinez down, investigators found at least four sex videos on his phone involving the 16-year-old girl, according to the warrant.
Eduardo Martinez's mugshot from Feb. 2025 arrest (Tarrant County Jail)
What they're saying:
"I think that it just goes to show that this particular individual was of the mind that he was going to commit this offense," said Weatherford Interim Police Chief Jason Hayes. "Our job is to do our absolute best to prevent individuals from preying on children."
Police say private sting operations, like the one done by the YouTubers, can be beneficial to law enforcement. However, private citizens can potentially put themselves or others at risk.
Nationally, some law enforcement officials have warned it can also jeopardize investigations.
"We don’t want to tell them no. But at the same time, we just want to encourage them to be very careful and to coordinate those efforts with us. To talk to us a little bit ahead of time if they have that opportunity," said Hayes. "At the end of the day, we lean on the men and women that are in this community to help guide us and send us the calls. We need that."
What's next:
Martinez is not registered as a sex offender in Texas.
Just last week, he was indicted in Parker County for the charge out of Weatherford.
Martinez remains in the Tarrant County Jail for the second charge. His bond has been set at $500,000.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Eduardo Martinez's arrest affidavit and the Weatherford Police Department.