Former Educator Arrested in Federal Child Pornography Case Linked to Abilene Investigation
ABILENE, TEXAS - On August 15, 2025, an investigation with Homeland security and Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division (DPS CID) led to the arrest of 56-year-old- Robert Jerome Custer of Abilene on a federal charge of accessing child pornography.
Custer previously worked as an educator in Abilene, Barksdale, Kingsville, and Palestine. Authorities confirmed he was not employed in any educational or counseling role at the time of his arrest.
Officials say he was not employed as a counselor or educator at the time of his arrest.
Robert Jerome Custer.
Custer appeared in federal court on Thursday, August 21, 2025. According to court documents, the case originated in February after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged a video depicting child sexual abuse material uploaded to the internet. The upload was traced back to an Abilene residence.
News reports from KTAB/KRBC in Abilene, also stated that a search warrant was “executed at a home connected to the video, with suspect Miguel Estrada confessed to watching the video while engaged in sexual activity with another suspect in November 2024.”
Investigators were able to identify Custer as the second suspect.
Miguel Estrada
Joshua Melton
A third suspect was also identified, as Joshua Melton.
The document does not detail the allegation against Melton, but he was named as a co-defendant with Estrada.
Investigators are seeking information from potential victims from Custer’s time while he was an educator or camp counselor.
The Texas DPS CID in Abilene can be reached at (325) 795-4070.
