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Tarrant County Sheriff's son arrested in Arlington, accused of soliciting a minor

Sheriff Bill Waybourn answers a question during a town hall about the deaths at the Tarrant County Jail on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Tarrant County Sub-Courthouse in Arlington.
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
William Waybourn is the adopted son of Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, pictured.

The adopted son of Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn is facing three charges — including two felonies — after he was arrested Monday evening, according to court records.

William Waybourn, 20, was charged with solicitation of prostitution of a minor, assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest, court records show. He was transferred to the Arlington Jail and later bonded out.

A press release Tuesday said the sheriff was "disappointed" in his son's choices and added the 20-year-old is "developmentally challenged."

"As many people in the community understand, young adults with such difficulties often end up in the justice system," the statement read. "It is a sad reality for these individuals who don’t have resources to help them assimilate into society in a traditional way."

Waybourn’s office said he would not provide any more information or statements at this time.

According to Arlington police, officers responded to a 911 call Monday afternoon when the caller told dispatchers an underaged girl entered a business in the 100 block of South Bowen Road and indicated a man had made “sexually explicit comments” while following her.

After spotting the man and briefly speaking with him, officers identified him as William Waybourn. Police say Waybourn became upset, resisted efforts to detain him and allegedly injured an officer’s arm during the process before he was ultimately arrested. The investigation is ongoing.

It's not the first time one of Waybourn's children has had a run-in with law enforcement. Sergei Waybourn, 29, has been in and out of Tarrant County Jail since 2017, according to court records. He's been arrested by Arlington and Fort Worth police 13 times and faced 18 charges, including indecent exposure in 2019 and assault in 2021, jail records show.

Sergei and William Waybourn are two of eight children adopted by the Waybourns, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s department website. The sheriff has 10 children in total.

Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.

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Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. She graduated from the University of North Texas in May with a B.A. in Digital and Print Journalism.