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. Divorced The mans name is John Kennelly hes 43 and his father says unemployed. While weve met some memorable people throughout our investigation, some of the men in Florida are without question unforgettable. And Im gonna tell you this straight up right now.Clifford Wallach: What?Hansen: Im Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC.Wallach: OK.Hansen: Were doing a story on adults meeting childrenWallach: I was just coming to take someone out to lunch. Six years later the guy was busted for molesting a couple of his young students, girls and boys. Not by a long shot. 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. He also received three years and ten months by the state of Kentucky. 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. He was found guilty and is awaiting sentencing. He then incorrectly changed the name of the person he claimed he wanted to meet toScott Pederson and repeated his story again. To Catch a Predator by Lee WeatherallNovember 29, 2019 To catch A predator A show where poor people get tricked into traveling miles to see a fake kid they met online so they can discuss candy and unicorns and eat nachoswhile the adult discusses the dangersof online chatting. He seemed a bit arrogant and pompous to me, in the way he would brag about his wealth and cars. 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. After her brother Louis was caught on To Catch a Predator, Patricia Conradt filed a $100 million lawsuit against NBC, claiming her brother's exposure caused him to commit suicide. Also had child pornography in his possession. 98 of those are now facing criminal charges going all the way back to September 2004. Teri Schroeder, I-Safe: If you could actually look through cyber glasses and see whos peering in your window, whos in your daughters room, whos reading your daughters blog, whos cyber-stalking your son.it is reality and the fact is weve become very ignorant to those types of things because we cant see it.. Only one of the prods of the taser connects with Patterson's body, which allowed him to run through the house without being electrocuted. He performed sexual favors for other prisoners while he was incarcerated. (See video. Hansen: How you doing?Thomas Bodnar runs out the door as soon as he sees me.and gets tackled by investigators.And with his head still bleeding from the tackle, Bodnar speaks to the detective at the booking station. The next day hes brought before a judge and bail is set. When he was about 23, Wehry was arrested and charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon in 1981 after shooting a man in the neck. And they do it by posing as kids online. Hes a special education teacher looking to meet a 13-year-old boy. Hansen informed him that he had used the email only a few hours before his arrival. When Hansen revealed that he knew he was at a public library chatting with the decoy, Wehry claimed that someone else was using hisemail address. Rutherford said that when he goes online he doesnt specifically look for underage teens but since our broadcast, we learned Rutherford was chatting with someone else in addition to Perverted-Justice. Parents, children, and members of society in general need to be aware of the red flags that are depicted here. Jean Pierre Wehry: had previous convictions of assault with a firearm (as a youth), rape, and failure to register as a sex offender. 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. Joe Wunderler: I just get nervous. Sexual abuse victim breaks his silenceAlex Case abused by AFL superfan in 2005Jeffrey 'Joffa' Corfe avoided jail for his crime. 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. Hansen: Whats really going on here?Jeffrey Beck: Whats really going on is I came over to take him out for lunch. 0:00 / 10:37. 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. Over three days, they cameone after the other. Anyone in the business of rooting out illegal behavior runs the risk of occasionally being accused of entrapment, and To Catch a Predator is no different. 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. I turned him down and sent him home to his wife. Immorefunthanyou. Bianco: I had no one available. He tried to claim a Mexican on the bus told him he knew a cement company and was knowledgeable about construction. To Catch a Predator Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Hansen: So you just woke up this morning and said Im going to get involved in a Internet conversation with a 14 year old boy . I said sure.. You bet they would and theyd also meet Dateline. And where? The man who called himself "specialguy29" defies the odds and agrees to meet at a fast food restaurant. During our three day investigation 17 men came to this house to meet a young teen home alone and 17 were arrested, including a 21-year-old paramedic who has a thing for feet, and a family man who online made plans to take the virginity of a 15-year-old. A first for the showNBCs Hansen said Murphy is the only place the show has encountered such resistance. 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. He and a Florida affiliate reporter got a little too close for comfort, which wouldn't normally be a huge problem, but Hansen was married at the time. 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. What do you do for a living?Kaye: Im a rabbi. And the parade began one after the other, grown men made dates, and showed up at our undercover house. 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. Teens need to know that more than just their friends are reading what they post. BREAKING:Eli Lilly caps the cost of insulin at $35 a month. The most recent had been created less than a week before police seized the device. Hes a man in a position of trust: 24- year-old Ryan Hogan, screenname ryan4686, a New York City firefighter. He quickly comes up with a disguise, it and as far as interviews go, this may be a television first. He declared he arrived at the house so late to leave a note for John Pederson. Rutherford: I know shes a kid.Hansen: How old?Rutherford: 13, 14Hansen: 13, and how old are you?Rutherford: Too old for a 13 or 14 year old.Hansen: Too old. He was sentenced to three years in prison. He kept claiming that someone else had used his email address and threatened said he woulddelete the account. In 2011, the judge overseeing his case threw it out after only six days, saying prosecutors failed to prove the young man actually intended to have have relations with a minor. After driving 104 miles, one man appears anxious as he fumbles with his zipper. It sparked ratings magic for. Holding his sons hand, the 40-year-old walks into the house. He was creepy and kept trying to get me to go to Burning Man. NBC Universal, Inc.'s "libel, slander and defamatory statements" have caused him mental and emotional stress and ruined his reputation. Not all the perps collared by To Catch a Predator have been given the punishment they might seem to deserve. If you think a teacher trolling for a date with a minor is a breach of trust, how about an emergency room doctor? We talk for a half an hour. It was kind of a little surprise.Hansen: You wanna explain yourself, grab that towel right there please. Frag: Well, we dont really have to lure them. I brought a shot of jagermeister. Please Login or Register. Hes here to meet a boy who told him online he was 14. Weight Miles from any major city, down long country roads, past corn fields and cow pastures, Dateline set up this house in Rural Ohio. 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. In exchange for sex, he promised to help the boylaunch hismodeling career. Holcomb: It was a devastation to all of us. Its not his first arrest.Police: Whatd you do your time for? So hes like sure, Im down to tag along, immediately regretting the decision when Chris Hanson pops out. Since the police know the man has his son with him they approach him carefully.A female officer quickly takes the little boy and whisks him away so he doesnt have to further witness his fathers arrest. He got the stiffest sentence of all the Florida predators. Marital status Last year, he pleaded guilty to using the internet to transmit obscene material to a person under 16. I've read the producers of Cops often collude with the police and prosecutors to reduce the sentence or drop charges if the people being arrested sign a release. He was kinda dumpy in appearance but thought he was hot shit. Bryan Whorton, who lives with his wife and baby across the street from the house, said his neighborhood was put in danger. IE 11 is not supported. 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. Here, Hansen shares the true stories of families who have been targeted by predators, revealing the tactics predators use to manipulate their victims and why even cautious families can be. Some software will even alert the parent via e-mail on a Blackberry or at work. Police sometimes use this technique to show intent. 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.. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. It's bullshit that Todd Spikes didn't get any jail time. Blue and Cialis?.Stephen Coates: That, thats all there in the car in case I would have run into someone else not necessarily this girl. He had come to get drinks for one of my birthdays and to be honest he seemed completely normal. Cars sped up and down the street and police sprinted from hiding spots, guns drawn, to arrest suspects, he said. One man who arrived was a budget analyst for the military. That way, a defendant cannot claim entrapment. Literally the very next day, he gets arrested for trying to meet up with a 13 year old girl in a chat room that was really the State Police. AZ285. Birmingham Crown Court pictured in 2023 (Image: Martin O'Callaghan / Birmingham Live) Two women students were targeted and plied with alcohol before being raped by a man who . The most famous man to be featured on To Catch a Predator was Lorne Armstrong, who became the subject of The Church of Cawd. He then contended that a "young man on the phone" informed him that John Pederson owned a construction company. They can chase predators all they want, but they shouldnt do it in a populated area with children, two blocks from an elementary school, said Lisa Watson, 33, who lives down the road from the sting house and has three children and another on the way. He was ordered to be held without bail. Global Edition. Mark Turner committed the sick crimes between 2001 and 2004, a court heard. Its just their attitude is: doesnt happen in my house. 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. And, each would be caught by Dateline. Todd Spikes: 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 to 10 years' sex offender probation, "Dateline NBC: To Afterwards, he is quickly ambushed from all sides and taken down. 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. I made the judgment call to correct that mistake.Hansen: Is there anything else you want to say about thisHogan: Yeah, I think ah, people ought to use their heads, people should know better, um, I made a mistake. I ask because of his chatlog lol. When asked if he used his email, Wehry stated that he had done so a long time ago. Jake , Fairfax County Police: Yes, it is.. 1X. Anyway, we go our separate ways but do exchange phone numbers. The fourregistered sex offenders are behind bars awaiting trial. It was the opposite of a he was the last person I would suspect situation. some-seventy-years. I know some people who have seen me with the movie, but that was it. Weve created a community powered by horror fans like you and we need you in it. 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. He wound up driving away from the decoy house and was arrested nearby. Both suggestions would be great. You want reasons? Del, from Perverted-Justice posing as the boy spoke with Fotophix on the phone. If you've been the victim of an Internet predator, get help. 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. Some of Dateline's advertisers expressed misgivings about continuing to support the segment, and as a result, NBC started scaling back production. What are you doing?Lakhan: Making a mistake.Hansen: Making a mistake? Hogan: I made a mistake at the time. When he was eleven years old, he was molested by a 15-year-old boy. Always generous with his time, worked at a community center helping under privledged kids learn how to use computers. Cape Town - What started as a normal day for a eight-year-old girl three years ago, ended up cementing heartache, fear and anger in her community forever. Wehry left the house and was eventually taken into custody by the Riverside police department. Dateline touched a major nerveexposing an epidemic of sexual predators in our country. There arent necessarily signs you would see that would tip you off that your co-worker or neighbor or acquaintance is interested in underage girls. Moonlightonthelake80. All 17 men have been charged with attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the pretense of sexual contact and then . After seeing our story, the officer was able to identify him. So, I didnt know him on a personal level, but I did talk to him on a regular basis. Wehry made statements like: "By the way why wouldn't I wanna make love to you? Law enforcement says this helps show intent to solicit a minor. 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 . Hes charged with attempted lewd and lascivious battery, using the computer to solicit sex with a minor, and transmitting material harmful to a minor. It was the Riverside, CA episode where two really young guys show up at the house. They only interviewed his friend and he just had to stand there nervously guzzling a Rockstar waiting for it to be over. Date of birth Police should not be abdicating a very important function to either private organizations or entertainment organizations, he said. I am not interested in getting any further in trouble. Now he faces a new charge of attempting a lewd act with a child under 14. Welcome Guest. Among them was Louis Conradt Jr., an assistant prosecutor from neighboring Kauffman County, who allegedly engaged in a sexually explicit online chat with an adult posing as a 13-year-old boy. He thenadmitted to taking the bus and walking from Claremont to the sting house. 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. NBC claimed it wasn't distancing itself from its controversial hit, but the numbers showed otherwise. Hansen: So how can I help you? After spending hours engaged in a sexually explicit chat - sometimes from the firehouse, he makes a plan to come over to have sex with our fourteen year old. Hed fix everyones computers for free and help them get into work. This caused Chris Hansen to come out and order him to take a seat. Predator, with plans to bring it to television later. 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? Decoy: Hey come on in! http://www.nbc-2.com/story/10690344/notorious-predator-gets-stiff-sentence 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. Ill be honest. Coincidentally, when he drives by, he sees a police car parked near the house and has a possible burst of conscience. Wehry stated once more that he would not have sex with a minor and that he was dating an African American woman. Bodnar was just one of the 50 men arrested in the riverside investigation. It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 12-15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over the Internet for sexual liaisons. 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. . 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. Wehry was charged with forced sodomy on a minorand sentenced to two years in juvenile detention as a result. We found him online chatting with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old boy. Physical description We knew there had been abductions and even murders committed by online predators so we understood how serious the issue could be. Then, last month, Collin County District Attorney John Roach dropped all charges. 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. 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. 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 . Epidemic of sexual predators in our country District Attorney John Roach dropped all charges he got the stiffest sentence all. Between 2001 and 2004, a New charge of attempting a lewd act with decoy! Was just one of the men in Florida are without question unforgettable you wan na make to! 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