Ethan Serrano, 18, Arrested on Felony Child Enticement Charge in Monroe County

Investigators with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ethan James Serrano, 18, of Hamilton, on Feb. 11 and charged him with one count of felony child enticement to produce sexually explicit material involving a victim younger than 13. Bond was set at $50,000 in Monroe County Justice Court, and Serrano is being held at the Monroe County Detention Center, also referred to in booking records as the Monroe County Jail.

Monroe County SVU Investigators handled the arrest, and officials described the charge as a single felony count related to enticement and production of sexually explicit material by a victim under the age of 13. Investigators have not released a charging affidavit or statutory citation, and the sheriff’s office has not provided a court date, arraignment information, or prosecutor assignment in the case.

Sheriff Kevin Crook issued a public admonition after the arrest, urging parental vigilance. He said, "We encourage parents to continue to be vigilant when it comes to children and their access to social media." Crook added, "Online relationships don't take long to develop into something sexual and/or criminal in nature. In this case, the relationship developed rapidly, in a matter of hours." In a longer statement, Crook warned, "Because of this, we must make our children very aware of the potential dangers that exist on and through the internet. Too many children are falling victim to child enticement by other underage kids as well as adults. Please keep a constant check on your child's online activity, but know that doing so may not even be enough to prevent something like this happening to your child."

Officials said the investigation is ongoing, and investigators have not disclosed whether electronic devices, messages, or images were recovered as evidence. There has been no public release of additional suspects, and there are no publicly reported details about the alleged method of contact or specific online platforms involved. The alleged victim’s identity is protected by law given the victim is under 13.

A social post summarizing the arrest recorded 28 reactions, seven comments and seven shares, reflecting local attention to the case and the sheriff’s warnings about online safety. The arrest report noted that investigators identified the suspect as Ethan James Serrano, 18, and that he was taken into custody by Monroe County investigators on the Feb. 11 date.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. With Serrano held on a $50,000 bond at the Monroe County Detention Center, follow-up steps include confirmation of the booking record, review of the Monroe County Justice Court docket for arraignment scheduling, and requests for the charging documents and any no-contact or bond conditions that may have been ordered.