TEXARKANA, Texas–A Hooks, Texas, man is being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $200,000 on charges of sexual assault of a child and online solicitation of a minor.
Steven Jason Anderson, 40, allegedly communicated with the girl via text messages which were recovered by investigators with the Hooks Texas Police Dept., according to a probable cause affidavit. Some of the messages were allegedly sexually explicit.
Anderson allegedly met the girl for sexual contact, the affidavit said. Anderson allegedly denied having messaged the girl for six months during an interview with investigators in late July, the affidavit said. When confronted with the texts, Anderson allegedly told investigators that he had sent the girl photos of his face a few weeks earlier, prompting the investigator to question Anderson’s earlier claim that he had not communicated with her in six months.
Anderson has been held in the Bowie County jail since his arrest July 26.
If convicted of sexual assault of a child, Anderson faces two to 20 years in prison. If convicted of online solicitation of a minor, he faces two to ten years in prison.
The case has been assigned to 102nd District Judge Jeff Addison.
