Federal and state charges served consecutively.Kevin Westerbeck: had previous sexual assault on a minor conviction, and conviction for hitting up another decoy in another sting.Marvin Harrison Smith: crime occurred in conservative Georgia, had an extremely disturbing chat with decoy, had an obstruction charge for running away from police, and refused a six year plea bargain only to lose at trial.Thomas Bodnar: one previous conviction for molesting a 15 year old, another person testified in court that he had molested her and her two brothers. Now, why don't you take a Holcomb: It was a devastation to all of us. Not all the perps collared by To Catch a Predator have been given the punishment they might seem to deserve. In 1999, he was convicted of oral copulation with a person under the age of 16. He claimed that the "young man" directed him to meetScott Pederson at the sting house. Rutherford says he had a feeling this was a setup, but he admits he was fooled into believing he was talking to a young teen. And, Im sure youve heard that twenty billion times.Hansen: Twenty billion and one counting tonight. Just like all the men who come through our door in Ohio, the teacher is arrested and transported to the county jail, where he is photographed, fingerprinted, strip searched and thrown in jail. Eric Chase, a defense attorney specializing in sex crimes, said stings are the job of police, not TV crews. David Adkins of the New Lebanon, Ohio police department took the report a year and a half ago. Funnily when Chris told them they could go they thought they were in the clear and were giggling on the way out until a bunch of cops in tactical gear jumped them in the driveway lol. There were zero signs he would do something like that. Shes a smart girl too and didnt expect anything like that AFAIK. And this was not his only encounter with the law. He faces eight new felony counts of child solicitation. Chris Hansen travels to Ohio and Florida to file the first in a new series of hidden-camera reports on alleged online sexual predators as part of the ongoing "To Catch a Predator" series. Marital status Unbelievably, we learn even more about Westerbecks criminal past: rape of a little girlpart of his extended family. men planning to meet someone who said they were an underage teen, trying to explain away their behavior. He never did anything to label himself a creep. "There isn't a bigger, more respected name in crime reporting than Chris Hansen. A sexual predator who stalked a pregnant mum before attacking her in broad daylight has been jailed for four years. He quickly comes up with a disguise, it and as far as interviews go, this may be a television first. Their practices have generated strong criticisms from a police force unsure how to engage them because they lack an empathic understanding of hunters . He asks me about my parents, I show him pictures of my family. Those background checks are what keeps this lore alive though, as the process if much more intensive than any other studio. SidePullSandwich. Law enforcement says this helps show intent to solicit a minor. And after our story aired, Ryan Hogan was terminated from the New York City Fire Department. In Ohio v. Deuble (2021), a law enforcement officer impersonated a 15-year-old girl named "Bella Jane" online with the aim of catching predators. Meanwhile, the dad is jailed, charged with attempted lewd and lascivious battery and another charge of child abuse. The network sustained a bit of a black eye during the scandal and some might say they dropped the ball by not firing him on a segment similar to his own. But if youre having trouble talking to your kids about all this, I-Safe offers a step by step program to help. When he was eleven years old, he was molested by a 15-year-old boy. Because we dont want to scare the little boy, we immediately tell the man whats going on. Hansen: So you thought it was okay to come here to see a 14-year-old girl.Wunderler: No I didnt.Hansen: And you say, Would you ever try anal? Ouch. Since Perverted-Justice members are the decoys, some have been temporarily deputized. Wehry left the house and was eventually taken into custody by the Riverside police department. Is Your Anxiety Sabotaging YourRelationship? The fourregistered sex offenders are behind bars awaiting trial. Everyone who knew the guy was actually pretty shocked. But, hes not the only registered sex offender who showed up at our house. Catch a Predator" sting, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. IE 11 is not supported. You might be wondering what happened to the fine folks at Perverted-Justice after NBC stopped airing segments of To Catch a Predator. And it is what parents often dont see is that this can have tragic consequences for kids online according to Teri Schroeder who is president of I-Safe, an organization devoted to online safety. But not long after he befriended Dazarie and her family, Bodnar began to molest the three children one by one. So hes like sure, Im down to tag along, immediately regretting the decision when Chris Hanson pops out. He knocked on the door and repeatedly said "psst" to get the decoy's attention. [1], Wehry published an autobiography called "In For Life: Confessions of a Three-Strikes Prisoner" under the identity "Damien Lartigue." By August of that year, only one segment had been shot, compared to seven the previous year. Eye color Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The star of NBC's "To Catch a Predator," Chris Hansen, failed to appear in a Michigan courtroom in Shiawassee County on Thursday, where he was slated to present materials related to a local sex. All rights reserved (About Us). Certainly these people should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but the fact that this was all done for television cameras raises some questions, said Mayor Bret Baldwin. Even after two investigations, in two states, with millions having seen our broadcastsmen still arrived at Datelines door. After he graduated high school, he did everything he could to hang out with much younger kids. Suicide fuels angerAs details of the suicide emerged, Murphys mayor, City Council and most of its residents learned for the first time that potential molesters were being lured to their city. To Catch a Predator was an American news expos series that featured hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. Hansen: What makes you so religious?Westerbeck: Because I have a faith in God.Hansen: Didnt your faith in God suggest to you that you shouldnt come over here and hang out with a 13 year old girl after a sexually charged conversation on the Internet?Westerbeck: Thats why I turned around the first time and then she called me. http://www.nbc-2.com/story/10690344/notorious-predator-gets-stiff-sentence Theyll come to us. He wound up driving away from the decoy house and was arrested nearby. Hes now awaiting trial. We go into these chatrooms, I havent said a word to anybody Im sitting in a room and the IMs start popping up and they start coming on. Add using the Internet to entice a child into having sex, and Lt. Jake Jacoby of the Fairfax County Police department says the laws are even tougher. Am I wrong to think that?Lakhan: No. Decoy: Wow. December 6, 1957 By May, he'd raised almost $90,000 and started production, with investigations already underway. Monday, February 27, 2023 He was a volunteer at a Boys club special friend program.. He told me he was 18.Hansen: How long were you in prison for that offense?Lyons: I wasnt in prison.Hansen: You got probation?Lyons: Correct.Hansen: How long were you on probation?Lyons: Im still on probation.Hansen: Youre still on probation now? Did you bring condoms?Bailon: Yes, sir.Hansen: You did? He was a seriously weird dude, but was relatively friendly, came out to all of the campus events, and was not suspected of being a predator at all by any of us in the dorms back in those days. Jake , Fairfax County Police: Yes, it is.. By 2007, To Catch a Predator had collected quite a bit of negative press, including heavily critical stories in Rolling Stone, Esquire, and other media outlets. There were more than a few who transferred out of his area or specifically asked not to work directly with him. For upwards of US$100,000 per episode, the production hired controversial vigilante group Perverted-Justice to assist in the "exposure [and] arrest of men ostensibly interested in having sex with children."Perverted-Justice entered chat rooms and posed as children to lure such men to a . I mean I can only imagine what wouldve been going on in this house had I not been here. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: Have you ever seen our stories on computer predators?Daniel Pulido: Yes.Hansen: this is one of them. Thats right a rabbi, David Kaye, the man who sent several pornographic pictures of himself is a man of Godhes been a staff member of an organization that provides educational programs for Jewish high school students. Didnt Dustin get something like 10 years in prison? The Real Difference Between A Relationship That Lasts And One ThatDoesnt. Hey man, I dont want to be on the news, you filming me?Hansen: We are filming.Schumacher: I dont want to be on the news, dawg.Hansen: Well, its a little late for that, dawg. They all had one thing in commoneach carried on a sexually explicit chat online with someone who claimed to be a young teen. 04:30, 26 FEB 2023. Just figured he was a good guy doing something for kids. The decoy gives a series of verbal commands to Patterson to prove that he is unarmed, and he does so without suspecting a thing. He said secrecy was necessary for the sting to be effective. It was kind of a little surprise.Hansen: You wanna explain yourself, grab that towel right there please. Federal guidelines call for a minimum sentence of five years in prison. Is that accurate?Lakhan: Yes. Gender He performed sexual favors for other prisoners while he was incarcerated. Youre chasing a cat around. Super creepy stuff. He kept claiming that someone else had used his email address and threatened said he woulddelete the account. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Hes a special education teacher looking to meet a 13-year-old boy. She was only a third grader when she first met Bodnar. Every Friday, we send out an email with the scariest horror movies and TV shows streaming that weekend along with creepy news, updates from the horror movie pipeline, and links to the best scary content on the web. Really great upstanding citizen. Once Lorne Armstrong showed up at the sting . Height And as youll see, some seem prepared to do things that Fort Myers, Florida Police Chief Hilton Daniels finds quite alarming. So, you were coming over to be a mentor?McIntosh: In a way, yes. CBS News' Brian Montopoli accused the segment of being interested in nothing more than ratings, arguing it didn't operate with enough journalistic integrity, and made the news rather than reporting it. After they were married, he began his education to become a medical assistant. Only one of the prods of the taser connects with Patterson's body, which allowed him to run through the house without being electrocuted. I thought lorne had a lifetime registration? Hes been charged with using a computer to solicit a minora felony. We knew there had been abductions and even murders committed by online predators so we understood how serious the issue could be. Meanwhileour investigation in Virginia wasnt over. On April 15, 2015, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a web series called Hansen vs. 5 Mindset Shifts To Stop RelationshipAnxiety. He was incarcerated for about a year before being committed to a mental institution. Hansen: What have we got here?Elias Bailon: A rose.Hansen: What about condoms? Michael Joseph Patterson, otherwise known as jon_raven2000 was a predator caught in the Bowling Green, Kentucky installment of To Catch a Predator. Predator web series part of the program. By 2008, the lawsuit was "amicably resolved" in a confidential settlement. And the parade began one after the other, grown men made dates, and showed up at our undercover house. Our newsletter keeps our core readers connected. It wasnt until a few weeks later that we even learned he was on the show. 20 years later or so I see him at a rink. Now hes in our kitchen planning to meet a young boy. Things like Driving under the influence, failing a drug screen, and impromptu meetings with Chris Hansen. zombiemann. Enter a group called Perverted-Justice, a kind of online watchdog organization whose mission is to do what it believes law enforcement doesnt always have the resources to domake a full time job of going after internet predators. My friend was a WRECK after everything happened. Wehrystated that he used email when he was married but no longer did. Wehry claimed to be looking for a man named John Pederson to speak with about a job opportunity. City manager Craig Sherwood approved such an operation in this well-to-do community of 11,000 after being approached by Dateline and Perverted Justice, but he never informed the mayor or the City Council. Manawatu Guardian 'You're f***ing joking': Family outraged at sentence for killer drink driver. The DA had backup from Mayor Bret Baldwin, who said that even though the men in question deserved punishment, the involvement of a television show raised questions. It took months, but Dazarie finally told her mother about the abuseshe went straight to the police. Still, he goes home, gets comfortable again, and turns on his Web cam, exposes himself and masturbates, all while wearing his New York City firefighter sweatshirt. He left and started working as a prostitute after being accused of stealing. A sailor caught in a child-sex sting aired as part of the Dateline: To Catch a Predator series has been acquitted of all charges, according to the San Jose . While weve met some memorable people throughout our investigation, some of the men in Florida are without question unforgettable. Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent: Are these chat rooms really that creepy?Frag, Perverted-Justice: Oh, theyre just loaded. It really shows that it could be anyone who does this type of thing. The Florida department of children and families is conducting an investigation into the little boys welfare. When asked if he used his email, Wehry stated that he had done so a long time ago. Hosted by Chris Hansen, To Catch a Predator is a series that recurred on the TV news magazine Dateline NBC. If you think a teacher trolling for a date with a minor is a breach of trust, how about an emergency room doctor? From forgotten stories surrounding the production to all the ups and downs experienced by Hansen and his signature series in more recent years, this is the untold truth of To Catch a Predator. When he leaves the house, hes arrested. it's real, if you wiki the show, they have a pretty extensive article of the people they caught, and the charges that were laid. He said after meeting the principal a couple of times, he had a weird feeling, strong enough to override my mom not having felt the same way. Hes mentally challenged so i think that he got he worst of the sexual abuse and I was in the middle and then my brother my youngest brother was, got the less of the sexual abuse. He has a long rap sheet. (See video. But the question was how to go about reporting on this crime and exposing the men who might be inclined to commit it. And please sit in that stool. That a doctor would show up at this house surprised us, but it would be one of many surprises here just outside Washington D.C. 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