46-year-old Anthony Martinez was taken into custody on Thursday, October 26, 2023, after he was suspected of being an online predator. Martinez allegedly attempted to meet a minor girl near a local school, as per the San Antonio Police Department, and currently faces s*x crime charges.
The arrest took place after an undercover operation that helped cops expose Dr. Anthony Martinez. The suspect is reportedly the regional vice president for USACS South and has a wife and four kids.
Trigger warning: The article contains references to child abuse. Readers' discretion is advised.
Dr. Anthony Martinez was arrested on Thursday for allegedly arranging to meet a minor
San Antonio police conducted a sting operation that brought Dr. Anthony Martinez's alleged actions to light. Martinez reportedly planned a meet-up with a minor girl, in order to establish s*xual contact with her. According to the police, Martinez allegedly continued the conversation and arranged the meet-up, knowing that the person on the other end of the chat was an underage girl.
However, he ended up meeting law enforcement officers when he arrived at the decided location and realized that officers had planned an undercover operation. After the arrest, he was booked into the Bexar County Jail. Martinez was then freed from jail after he posted a bond of $50,000, as per KSAT.
He currently faces charges including online solicitation of a minor - meets with intent of s*xual conduct. Law enforcement officers stated:
"[Anthony believed he was texting a minor and arrived in] the vicinity of a school with the intention of meeting with a minor female to engage in s*xual conduct."
The primary purpose of the undercover operation was to locate and arrest individuals who could possibly prey on minor children, especially on the internet. After the arrest, the San Antonio Police Department uploaded an update on Facebook, informing citizens that an alleged online predator had been taken into custody.
"The suspect was communicating with what he believed to be a child. The suspect came to the vicinity of a school with the intention of meeting with a minor female to engage in s*xual conduct, instead, he was met by SAPD detectives and West Patrol Officers, who took him into custody without incident," they wrote.
Martinez is a regional vice president for USACS South and the system medical director for the Baptist Health System in Texas.
Martinez was described as a passionate advocate for his staff and patients
Upon digging into Martinez's background police discovered that he had quite a few achievements as a medical professional. According to the official website of US Acute Care Solutions, Martinez has been employed as an emergency physician in the Baptist Health System since 2007. In 2011, he was named the ED medical director and hospital staff would often address him as "Downtown Baptist."
The website described Martinez as being passionate and empathetic towards staff and patients at the Baptist Medical Center. The organization has stated that Martinez has been suspended "pending the outcome of the police investigation," as per KENS5.
The suspect was originally from El Paso, Texas, and joined the University of Texas-Pan American, from where he received his bachelor's degree. Anthony Martinez received his medical degree at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine. Anthony Martinez further completed his emergency medicine residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center.