A former Texas law enforcement officer has admitted guilt to federal charges related to child exploitation, leading to potential prison time of up to 60 years. Skyler Douglas Laza, 34, entered his plea in federal court on July 27, confirming his involvement in the sexual exploitation of minors.
During the proceedings before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love in the Eastern District of Texas, Laza was charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, as detailed by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. The court records reveal that Laza, who previously served as a deputy in Houston County, coerced a child under the age of 12 into participating in sexually explicit acts on multiple occasions, capturing the incidents with a mobile phone.
As part of a plea agreement, Laza faces a sentence ranging from 40 to 60 years in federal prison, along with mandatory lifetime registration as a sex offender and a period of supervised release. A formal date for sentencing will be determined following a pre-sentence investigation conducted by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case was investigated by various agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Dallas Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Palestine Police Department. It is being prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a longstanding initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation.
