Houston County Deputy Arrested in Child Sex Abuse Case — Brother, a Gladewater Officer, Also Charged
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
ELKHART – A Houston County Sheriff’s deputy has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child, and his brother — a Gladewater police officer — is also facing related charges, following a sweeping multi-agency investigation led by the Dallas Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
Skyler Douglas Laza, 33, was taken into custody after Dallas detectives traced dozens of child sexual abuse videos uploaded to a Dropbox account back to his residence in Elkhart, according to a sworn probable cause affidavit.
Detective Michael Fontenot of Dallas PD wrote that a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted investigators to a Dropbox account uploading material depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
A court-authorized search of that account revealed about 190 videos, several of which contained GPS data placing the recordings at Laza’s home.
Two of those videos allegedly depict “the sexual assault of a male child, who appears to be approximately 10 years old.”
Fontenot also wrote that other footage showed two adult males—one standing and another seated beside the child—engaging in lewd acts. Both men’s faces are visible in the videos, and lighting devices seen in the footage were later found during the search of Laza’s Elkhart home.
Investigators said the videos date from January 2023 through late 2025, documenting repeated sexual assaults of the same child. The affidavit states that the child lived at the residence with Laza for part of that time.
A forensic interview with the child victim at the Anderson County Child Advocacy Center reportedly corroborated the recorded acts and identified Laza as one of the assailants.
Detectives said Laza initially waived his Miranda rights before asking to end an interview. He was arrested and booked into the Anderson County Jail on a first-degree felony charge of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, which carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison.
Houston County Sheriff Zak Benge said he personally terminated Laza’s employment shortly after the arrest.
“At approximately 8 p.m., I traveled to the Anderson County Jail where Laza was being detained and fired him effective immediately,” Benge said. “The allegations and supporting evidence are truly disturbing. It is sickening that someone entrusted to protect our community—especially children—would be the very person arrested for abuse.”
Benge said his office will continue to assist investigators.
“My promise to this community was to be open, honest, and accountable,” he said. “We will not hide from this. We will stand with law enforcement and with the victim to make sure justice is served.”
He added that the incident “demolishes trust” in law enforcement but said his department will work to rebuild it through transparency and accountability.
On Thursday evening, Dallas police arrested Kenan Robert Laza, 29, of Longview — Skyler Laza’s brother and an officer with the Gladewater Police Department — on a charge of indecency with a child, a third-degree felony.
Gladewater Police Chief Kyle Ready said in a written statement he was notified by Dallas detectives and responded immediately to the arrest.
“Officer Laza’s employment with the Gladewater Police Department was terminated on-site, effective immediately,” Ready said. “The allegations and evidence are deeply disturbing and have shocked this department to its core.”
Ready said the department is cooperating fully with Dallas investigators and emphasized that “anyone found to have engaged in criminal or unethical activity will be held fully accountable.”
Authorities have not confirmed whether Kenan Laza is the second adult male seen in the videos described in the affidavit. The investigation remains ongoing.
The case is being led by the Dallas Police ICAC Unit with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Anderson County Child Advocacy Center, and federal law enforcement agencies, along with other state and federal agencies.
Dallas police released a statement confirming Skyler Laza was federally indicted on child pornography charges.
The Messenger was alerted to this story by a source in law enforcement shortly after Laza’s arrest and was able to confirm details shortly after. Anonymous sources who knew Laza or worked with him in law enforcement admitted they were shocked by the allegations, wondering how someone who worked so long in law enforcement would perpetrate such crimes, if proven true.
In a conversation with Sheriff Benge, The Messenger can confirm he was livid over the situation and vowed to make sure his department would be transparent and work with other agencies to pursue any relevant charges. He confirmed he sent deputies to retrieve Laza’s vehicle immediately after firing Laza in person.
Both Skyler and Kenan Laza remain in custody pending court appearances.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
