Del: He went back to saying it was immoral illegal and everything else.. Chris Hansen and his crew reeled us in like we were part of the bust. It could have been me.. 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. Blue He said he only came here because he felt badly for the teen who was left home alone. However, "To Catch A Predator" isn't an official police investigation, and thereby the evidence collected isn't sufficient to hold up a case. He was nice, funny as hell. Always generous with his time, worked at a community center helping under privledged kids learn how to use computers. Bodnar was just one of the 50 men arrested in the riverside investigation. And Lord were there plenty of bad guys. One 68-year-old sex offender, Robert Emmet Lyonswas arrested only five months ago for a lewd sex act with a person 15 or younger. But we wanted to take what Perverted-Justice does one step furtherto see if these predators would actually leave the world of cyberspace and show up at a house where they were told a child was alone. Eric Chase, a defense attorney specializing in sex crimes, said stings are the job of police, not TV crews. Green made bond on his "Predator" charges, though he returned to jail in August 2007 on accusations he exposed himself to an 8-year-old girl in Forsyth County. Jean Pierre Wehry FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. -- Todd Spikes, a 44-year-old former Florala, Ala., police officer arrested in 2006 during a "Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator" sting in Flagler Beach was sentenced Tuesday. Our newsletter keeps our core readers connected. 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. I can tell you in the other locations, these issues did not come up.. 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. Did he?Hansen: What does that say about your intent?Bennof: Well I always have them with me butHansen: What is a 54-year old man doing, coming to this home to see a 13-year-old boy?Bennof: Well, I obviously I made a big mistake. Wehry was diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia when he was very young. It transcended your run of the mill reality tv/crime drama story. Marvin Lakhan: Where are you?Decoy: Wait, just take a seat. Jean Pierre Wehry: had previous convictions of assault with a firearm (as a youth), rape, and failure to register as a sex offender. His 5-year-old son is back home with his mother. But the transcripts of his online chats and phone calls were enough for police to charge him with a felony. They came from all walks of life: blue collar, white collar, some with long rap sheetsothers without even a traffic ticket. The fourregistered sex offenders are behind bars awaiting trial. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. The Florida department of children and families is conducting an investigation into the little boys welfare. He claimed that the "young man" directed him to meetScott Pederson at the sting house. He was a volunteer at a Boys club special friend program.. While Perverted-Justice has no authority to arrest the potential predators it identifies, in the last year it has consistently worked with law enforcement in the criminal prosecution of those men.. NBC Universal, Inc. is liable for violating the "Journalistic Code of Ethics.". Its interesting that these are all variations of everyone knew hed end up on the show and everyone was completely shocked that he ended up on the show. I found out he gave me a fake name, and after getting his real name, I saw all the articles online and saw the guy was on To Catch a Predator. So youre on probation for having sex with a boy how old?Lyons: 15.Hansen: And now youre here in this house to have sex with a 13 year old boy.Lyons: No, that was not my intention.Hansen: What was your intention?Lyons: Just to talk or whatever. I do knowHansen: Big, Brother? Joe Wunderler was a military intelligence sergeant interested in bestiality. To Catch a Predator was an American news expos series that featured hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. The segment has actually been sued at least once. 43-year-old Walter Edward Babsta high school teacher is a married man with children. On April 15, 2015, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a web series called Hansen vs. Anyway, we go our separate ways but do exchange phone numbers. Schroeder: It informs them, gives them tips that they could actually, you know, be thinking about themselves and then actually helps them in terms of how they would apply this in terms of their own real life or even within their own house. When he was a sheriffs deputy in Florida, he would come into my job frequently. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the pretense of sexual contact and then . 'An out-of-control' showOver four days in November, 24 men were arrested at a two-story home in one of Murphys newer neighborhoods after allegedly arranging to meet boys or girls there. Theres a 14-year-old girl. A sexual predator who stalked a pregnant mum before attacking her in broad daylight has been jailed for four years. This house in Murphy, Texas, shown in a June 19, 2007 photo, was used in a nationally televised show to ensnare would-be pedophiles remains vacant and is for sale. In exchange for sex, he promised to help the boylaunch hismodeling career. Either way, what he did was a crime. This was particularly problematic, as the company was Nickelodeon Animation. Within 2 hours of being acquainted with the decoy online, he drives to her house and talks to her over the phone on the way. Chad Bianco: We were in telephone contact and two-way radio contact with Perverted-Justice and they would let us know when someone was getting close. He said that in 16 of the cases, he had no jurisdiction, since neither the suspects nor the decoys were in the county during the online chats. 144 123 I know some people who have seen me with the movie, but that was it. Wehry claimed that there was insufficient evidence of his intent to commit more than one count attempted lewd act on a child, and that his conviction on two counts ofattempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of ageviolated his Fifth Amendment rightunder the United States Constitution. Who are you to judge anyone or have a clue what being an rso really feels like? . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qIOjjyK5q4, https://meganslaw.ca.gov/OffenderDisplay.aspx?searchby=offender&ID=1869424101433&NSOPRFlag=True&x=d8e3512a-e0a1-48e2-8367-80606315aaeb, http://www.perverted-justice.com/booking/bookingcollage.html, https://templeoftcap.freeforums.net/thread/18823/jpw-denied-parole-3-years. It was particularly rough for his girlfriend at the time, as she also worked at the studio, so there was no hiding from it. Was someone from my hometown in NY. How much time did Wunderler get? State investigators found pornography among Conradt's possessions some of it involving minors as well as "evidence of graphic online chats.". He was a really nice, respectful guy; he seemed to be a good cop too. Once he enters the house, he admires the home and falsely tells the decoy that he's a detective lieutenant. It was the same in New York, Virginia, California and Ohio. Westerbeck like so many others claims he was just coming to talkand he also brings up a subject we heard quite often in Ohio: religion. Its just their attitude is: doesnt happen in my house. His sister, Patricia Conradt, told the City Council that police acted as a judge, jury and executioner that was encouraged by an out-of-control reality show.. Bryan Whorton, who lives with his wife and baby across the street from the house, said his neighborhood was put in danger. Heck hath no fury like a mommy scorned. A. sexual predator who raped a sleeping woman while posing as an Uber driver and carried out a violent park attack on a second victim has been jailed for 19 years. Was someone from my hometown in NY. His medical license there has been suspended. Del: He said I like oral, all aspects. When he was questioned by police, Barclay said: "On YouTube I was acting like a predator hunter trying to catch . It didnt look kosher at all, he said. It was the opposite of a he was the last person I would suspect situation. some-seventy-years. After the segment nabbed 24 men in Murphy, Texas, the local district attorney refused to prosecute the cases, claiming the amateur involvement of Perverted-Justice "tainted" them. [4] On February 2, 2009, Wehry was convicted and found guilty during a jury trial on two felony counts of attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, one felony count of attempted sodomy with a minor under 18 years of age, and one felony count of annoy or molest child under 18 years of age. As Harvey asked if she brought a camera, Wehry made a beeline towards her. But we never thought hed really do it, but he did that and even more. Biography Prior to the sting operation, Patterson was a reserve police officer in Lebron, Indiana, who was fired for using police car lights to pull someone over, impersonating an on-duty officer. And his trail of victims doesnt end there. The sick texts that exposed AFL icon as a predator: Brave sex abuse victim who was preyed on by super-fan as a 14-year-old boy - and battled for years to bring him to justice - slams his soft sentence. Everyone who knew the guy was actually pretty shocked. 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. So when we began our next investigation, this time in Fort Myers, Florida, we were ready for more excuses. She was scared of the storm, so she went to his room because she wanted the comfort of an adult. Chuck "Handjobs" Harding died before sentencing per the PJ website. Wehry stated once more that he would not have sex with a minor and that he was dating an African American woman. Height In Virginia, as in many other states, its generally a crime to send children sexually explicit material - even if it turns out the recipient is an adult posing as a child. His trial is scheduled for later this year. Our second investigation took us to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Our house was rigged with nine hidden camerasthree with views outside, one pointed in the garage and five inside the house. Hogan: I made a mistake at the time. Wehry said that he was a promotional photographer for "Kindergarten Cop," alongside some gay pornographic films. 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 gots all kindsa reasons:David Kaye: took his case to court and lost, was considered a dangerous person, had additional charge added of obstruction of justice for lying to the judge. The Murphy city manager who approved the operation lost his job in the ensuing furor. He thinks shes 13. He said secrecy was necessary for the sting to be effective. Holding his sons hand, the 40-year-old walks into the house. Wehry moved in with his psychiatrist when he turned 18 and the two began dating. He didnt have any children though. My dad told me this story years later, right after another strange incident, when he and I were on a train and when we got off he had us duck around a lot of people and pillars. He received 7 years in federal prison and 10 years supervised release. We were ALL the UCs (that's undercovers. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we've been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially. Jean Pierre "Michael" Wehry is a predator featured on the Riverside, California investigation of the To Catch a Predator series. Chief Hilton Daniels: The one that bothered me the most was the guy that showed up with rope and duct tape in his vehicle.Hansen: Did you bring rope with you tonight?Kenneth Forton: I have rope in my car, yes, for my job.Hansen: You talk about using the rope in various sex acts with this 15-year-old girl. And, Im sure youve heard that twenty billion times.Hansen: Twenty billion and one counting tonight. Wehry then began dating another inmate after falling in love with them. A couple of them said he just creeped them out and let his touch linger longer than was polite. I built a google sheet in the birthdays thread. Bianco, who has a total of fifteen people working for him, runs out of manpower. It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 12 - 15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over. Then, last month, Collin County District Attorney John Roach dropped all charges. Im going to go to his house, strip naked and walk in with a twelve pack of beer.Kennelly: No sir.Hansen: What would have happened John if I wasnt here?Kennelly: I probably would have chickened out sir. To Catch a Predator was a show that aired on Dateline NBC which featured Chris Hansen confronting men who tried to meet kids online. After they were married, he began his education to become a medical assistant. He asserted he hadn't used email since finishingschool in 1999. Is Your Anxiety Sabotaging YourRelationship? Frag: Well, we dont really have to lure them. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Weight New York was our first investigation and in two and a half days - 18 men walked down this driveway to meet someone who said they were a 12, 13, or 14-year-old home alone. Bodnar was convicted of sodomy and later sentenced to 10 years in prison. Wehry then changed his story again, claiming that he saw construction while walking to his house. He was pending charges in Riverside when he was arrested again in Long Beach. He even tried to follow our decoy upstairs. 47-year-old Kevin Westerbeck is expecting a 13-year-old virgin. It was kind of a little surprise.Hansen: You wanna explain yourself, grab that towel right there please. This was over a decade ago back in 2008 or 2009. Sgt. Unbeknownst to the teacher, he was on line with a Carmel, Indiana police officer posing as a 13-year-old. Welcome Guest. By subscribing, you agree to the terms of our Privacy Statement. "We are excited to have him lead our amazing team of correspondents, to build on our success and take Crime Watch Daily to the next level.". Well, he's still pending charges in Riverside, but the Long Beach case is done. "There isn't a bigger, more respected name in crime reporting than Chris Hansen. My friend dated someone who ended up disappearing, then we eventually found out he had been arrested for trying to sleep with an under age girl and having rope and guns in his trunk. Decoy: Hey come on in! Hansen: So you had intercourse with an underage boy.Robert Lyons: Yes. Beck: He was so anxious to have some company when he was left by himself for four days, under the circumstances it sounded neglectful.Hansen: So youre the Good Samaritan?Beck: Thats correct. The most recent had been created less than a week before police seized the device. Hansen: Hey how are you.Westerbeck: Fine how you doing.Hansen: Why dont you do me a favor and have a seat right over on that stool please?Westerbeck: Yeah. 267 182 Born a predator, turned into a killer by none other than you. Coincidentally, when he drives by, he sees a police car parked near the house and has a possible burst of conscience. Daniel Allen who had a prior conviction for stalking, Robert Forte, and Eric Palleson, who ran out the door when we started asking questions quietly entered his guilty plea two weeks ago. What were you charged with?Bodnar: Uh, Id rather not say right here What he doesnt want to say is that he molested a child more than 20 years agoDazarie Holcomb. The force they use is excessively funny though. Joshua Colon is being released from prison soon. We were all in our late 20s, he was a highly educated, well liked guy. He never makes it. "And since the stated intent of the house visit is to have sex with a minor, the ultimate responsibility lies with the men who come knocking on the door, no matter who initiates the meeting.". Read all Stars Chris Hansen Stone Phillips Del Harvey Hansen: Whats really going on here?Jeffrey Beck: Whats really going on is I came over to take him out for lunch. Why dont you put those on the table?Bailon: Oh no, I thought Id carry them with-- (NOISE) thank you. Like I said they let him go with no issues as he never had contact with the girl and had only been in state for less that 24 hours. During orientation they gave us a list of things that will result in immediate termination. Wehry was later released from the mental hospital when he was 17. So we go looking for him. He quickly comes up with a disguise, it and as far as interviews go, this may be a television first. Marital status A Florida man was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Monday after trying to entice a 12-year-old into sexual activity through the internet. I was getting suspicious of the guy and reverse searched his phone number. Judge: The court will make a finding that you are a sexual predator. Hansen: Could you explain yourself?John Kennelly: Im sorry.Hansen: Why dont you go ahead and cover up.Kennelly: Certainly. We found 42-year-old Thomas Bodnar. This is something I both brought up some time ago and am very curious about myself. Michael Joseph Patterson, otherwise known as jon_raven2000 was a predator caught in the Bowling Green, Kentucky installment of To Catch a Predator. At any given moment, one of perverted justices 50 volunteers, some who say they were victims themselves of sexual abuse, troll Internet chat rooms usually through AOL and Yahoo, waiting to be approached by a predator. [1], Wehry published an autobiography called "In For Life: Confessions of a Three-Strikes Prisoner" under the identity "Damien Lartigue." And, I felt like I would be more a big brother more than anything. Furthermore, Montopoli accused the segment of taking the law into its own hands by publicly exposing child molesters on national television. Until then, he remains on limited active duty. Wehry contended that he was unemployed and had no income. Patterson cites his loneliness and his ongoing divorce as reasons to attempt to commit statutory rape. Hansen: My point is, because your child is here, I think it would be best if you went ahead and left.Wallach: YeahI agree. : Yes your run of the to Catch a predator featured on the Riverside, California investigation the. More respected name in crime reporting than Chris Hansen known as jon_raven2000 was a crime for the teen was! 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They were married, he promised to help the boylaunch hismodeling career New. Worked at a boys club special friend program explain yourself? John Kennelly: sorry.Hansen. Creeped them out and let his touch linger longer than was polite job police. Of to Catch a predator was an American news expos series that featured hidden camera investigations by television! The teen who was left home alone it didnt look kosher at all he...