Harlingen PD accuses six men of trying to pick up prostitutes

HARLINGEN — Police arrested six men accused of soliciting sex from an undercover police officer during a sting operation Thursday at Gutierrez Park.

Police said the men offered a female undercover officer money for sex during the sting between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The men are charged with prostitution, according to police reports.

A person commits prostitution if he or she either "offers to engage, agrees to engage, or engages in sexual conduct for a fee," or solicits another in a public place to engage in sexual conduct for hire, according to the Texas Penal Code.

A charge of prostitution is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a fine up to $2,000, or both.

The six men offered the undercover officer between $20 and $35 for sex, according to arrest reports.

According to a police department news release, the men charged with prostitution are: Roberto Infante Serrano, 76; Francisco Garcia, 32; Marcos Arturo Cervantes, 37; Antonio Juarez, 29; Abel Rodriguez, 50; and Ricardo Gonzalez, 52.

A seventh man was arrested during the sting on charges of possession of a controlled substance and failing to have liability insurance on his car, according to an arrest report.

Thomas Edward Hacker, 52, was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance and failure to maintain financial responsibility, the report said.

Hacker parked his car in the 200 block of South G St., and the undercover officer saw Hacker holding a small plastic bag containing a white, powdery substance, the report states.

Another officer walked toward the car and Hacker hid the bag under the seat, the report states.

The second officer ordered the man out of the vehicle and found the bag under the seat, the report states.

Officials are trying to determine what type of controlled substance the powder was, police spokesman Sgt. John Parrish said.