A Bent County Sheriff's detention officer has been arrested on alleged sex exploitation of a child.
Hubert E. Teague, 34, of La Junta, was arrested by officers from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office charged with the alleged attempted Internet sex-exploitation of child and attempted sexual exploitation of a child. Teague has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending investigation.
According to an arrest affidavit from Jefferson County, between Jan. 10 and Jan. 13, 2009, Teague began communicating with investigator Mike Harris with the Jefferson County District
Attorney's Office, assigned to the Crimes Against Children's Unit.
The investigator was portraying a female teenager under the age of 15 and Teague began communicating with the online persona, acknowledging the portrayed child's age by saying "Wow, young."
During the communication, Teague stated that he was married and that he was 34-years-old.
Teague requested pictures of the portrayed child and upon receiving a picture of the portrayed child in a swimming suit, commented on the portrayed child's anatomy.
Teague then asked the portrayed child if she was "into phone anything like that." The investigator took that to mean phone sex. Teague then asked the portrayed child if she liked to play on the phone. The portrayed child responded "sometimes," at which point Teague said he didn't want to wind up in jail over it.
Teague commented on Jan. 21 communications that he was getting ready for work. When asked what he did, he stated "Deputy Sheriff."
He then sent a picture of himself, semi nude and asked for a similar picture from the portrayed child.
Further text messages were also sent to the portrayed child.
On Jan. 23, at approximately 10:20 a.m., Harris contacted Teague on his cell phone, the number of which he had given to the portrayed child. Harris identified himself and Teague admitted talking with the child in the case. He admitted sending a picture of himself along with exposing himself in the picture. He also admitted to asking for naked pictures of the child, according to the affidavit.
Teague is being charged with criminal attempt sexual exploitation of a child, a class four felony and criminal attempt internet sexual exploitation of a child, a class five felony.
The case is being investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney.
