An official for an anti-abortion advocacy organization in Texas was arrested earlier this month for allegedly soliciting a child for sex, according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC News.
Lucas Bowen, 33, the now former political director for Texas Right for Life, was arrested on Aug. 3 for "knowingly solicit[ing]" a minor with the intent to "engage in sexual contact or sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse," according to the complaint. He was charged with online solicitation of a minor and his bond was set at $50,000 in a court appearance the day after his arrest, which he posted, according to the district attorney's office.
Bowen’s next court appearance is set for Sept. 22, the district attorney’s office says.
Bowen's attorney E. Tay Bond has not responded immediately to requests from NBC News, but told The Courier of Montgomery County that "there is not a real victim in the case."
“This investigation revolves around a fictitious alleged minor created by law enforcement and posted on the Internet,” Bond said.
First Assistant District Attorney Michael Holley told NBC News the arrest was part of an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program operation.
Bowen was terminated from Texas Right to Life on the same day he was arrested, according to a statement from the Texas organization.
"An employee of Texas Right to Life was arrested earlier this month," the statement, published on Friday, read. "Our organization has zero tolerance for criminal activity, especially charges of this nature. His employment was terminated on August 3. The charges filed were unrelated to his role with Texas Right to Life."
The non-profit organization describes itself as "the oldest and largest statewide Pro-Life organization in Texas," according to its website. It "opposes abortion at any point of gestation, as abortion destroys a living, growing human life."
"In the rare case that the mother’s life is indeed endangered by a continuation of the pregnancy, sound medical practice would dictate that every effort be made to save both lives," the group says on its website.
The organization is also against in-vitro fertilization, which it describes as "a technology that ignores rather than enhances respect for human life" as "parents typically fertilize more embryos than they are prepared to implant into the womb."
