*A Texas mother and daughter have made a difference in a big way as they brought down a former substitute teacher who allegedly texted and groomed minors. Joshua Hockless was charged with online solicitation of a minor last month.
The 25-year-old substitute appeared in court on Oct. 9 and was released on a $40,000 bond. Authorities credit the trust-filled and comfortable relationship of a teenage girl and her mother for bringing Hockless to justice. It was the girl’s mother who reporter who reported him to the authorities.
“I would say that, obviously, the type of rapport and relationship this mother and daughter had is why she was comfortable going to her mother,” Assistant District Attorney Dak Choen told ABC13.
As part of his bond, Hockless must have a monitoring program embedded in all his electronic devices, Madame Noire noted.
Hockless’ charging comes more than a year after he allegedly sent sexually explicit text messages to the teenage girl, a student at Edward Franklin “E.F.” Green Junior High School. The unnamed minor met 25-year-old Hockless while substitute teaching at the school.
From there, Hockless began following the girl on Instagram and texting her. He reportedly sent the girl a picture of him standing completely naked before a mirror. In return, Hockless asked the young for inappropriate photos.
It was then the teen informed her mother of what was going on. The pair created with Hockless without sending photos to gain more proof of what the alleged sex offender was doing. Despite the merits of their plan, the mother and daughter encountered a less than timely response after submitting evidence to the Baytown Police Department.
“Nothing happened. Months went by,” the mom told ABC13. “I contacted other agencies. I had to go to the school [and the] police department. I ended up contacting the news.”
Although speculation from the girl’s mother pointed to Hockless’ father being a Baytown police officer for the Baytown Police Department’s inactivity, the department denied the theory.
It was not until ABC13 inquired about the situation that progress was made. Harris County High Tech Crimes eventually took over the case, performing a forensic analysis.
“She ended up going to forensics, and they did interviews with her there and led us to the charges that he has now,” the mother said.
The investigation into the case turned up disturbing revelations that included suspicions of Hockless from other E.F. Green Junior School educators who noted teenage girls skipping class to hang out in his class. In addition, came the discovery that Hockless was hired by Pasadena Independent School District hired Hockless after the investigation started, a fact the mother was disgusted by.
“‘I can treat you better than your parents. Let me take you shopping.’ Like, that is straight grooming. ‘I got money. I make good money. Do your parents have cameras? Can I come over?’” the mother said.
Prosecutors acknowledge that had the teen girl not confided in her mother immediately about Hockless, things would have turned out differently. Although this is his first criminal offense, Hockless could face up to 10 years in prison.
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