A recent study found that one in five children online is approached by a sexual predator, a predator who may try to set up a face-to-face meeting. "You love him, and we love him.". The alleged conversations with the suspects escalated to sexually graphic conversations very quickly, the sheriffs office said. He looked cowed and broken. . [emailprotected]. Some may recognize me, some think Im the mad dad, some think Im a detective. This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://lawandcrime.com and its author. Trace Turkelson, William Copeland IV, Cody Ewing, Tracy Fisher, and Otha Smith III (Canadian County Sheriffs Office). Then, in 2006, one of those men committed suicide. While reruns of To Catch a Predator still air regularly, no new episodes have been shot since 2007. ", Rachel fell silent, then asked, "What's that? She couldn't stop obsessing, not just over the repulsive details reported on the Dateline episode, but also about his intended infidelity. The conversations with the predators were extremely disturbing, including fetish demands, using names such as Daddy, graphic sexual acts they planned on doing to the children, and one predator talking about breeding with the female child, officials said. Is it too much drama? "And that resulted from a disagreement between a police department and a prosecutor's office. Thats part of our protocol. At that time, Hansen reported that he was commencing negotiations with various potential broadcast networks in an effort to find a media platform on which to air the footage that was shot during the Fairfield operation. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. Glamour may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Todd had been arrested for trying to solicit sex from a decoy disguised as an underage girl. "I would have been mad if you left him," Jessica told her. "I immediately thought about leaving him. Her phone rang endlessly. He was having graphic conversations with two of our decoys. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the preten See production, box office & company info, [Chris Hansen, as he reads to Jeffrey Stacey from the chat log transcript of his conversation with the decoy], [In a high pitched Mickey Mouse sounding voice], JonTron: Top 10 Most Overrated Games of All Time. Chris Hansen, the host of Crime Watch Daily.. As generations of college kids graduated and watched it, they thought it was brand new. ", On September 22, 2006, Todd's episode of Dateline: To Catch a Predator aired. (Note: Ambrosio was a 19-year-old arrested during a recent investigation in Fairfield, Conn.). Of course, you dont want anybody to hurt themselves. "), Dianna felt she knew something about mistakes and redemption. Emailus. Above all was the question of her daughters' safety and well-being; Dianna had custody of her children, and Todd was around the apartment a lot when the girls, ages 11 and 13, were there. (He was right; Dateline's decoys are always 18 or older.) Have a tip or story idea? ", Dianna decided she'd gather the $7,000 to bail Todd outbut not without trepidation. The organization also said, "That's what [predators] do, they blame everyone but themselves. Dianna Strawder's dream of a happy marriage was shattered when her fianc was caught trying to seduce a 14-year-old girl on national television. It never happened," Dianna says. Hosted by Chris Hansen, To Catch a Predator is a series that recurred on the TV news magazine Dateline NBC. Did the 2006 suicide lead to questions about whether you went too far? Soon after they walked into the restaurant, Wadkins said, "You have children. He went to visit a girl your age for an indecent purpose. Biography An actress that would go on to have many television roles, Cope first started as a decoy on TCaP. She turned him on so much he began to practice his tongue action and tried rubbing himself hard over his jeans. ", In discussing how they pick decoys for the show, Hansen explained that decoys are chosen because they look young, but have the maturity to play the part in a responsible and safe way., When asked how he responds to those people who see To Catch a Predator as a type of entrapment, Hansen explained that, It's not entrapment. A blurred image pops up on the screen: It's a shot of Todd's penis, which he sent the girl via webcam. He mentioned suicide. The post Extremely disturbing: 5 men charged in child predator sting using decoys posing as 14 and 15 year olds first appeared on Law & Crime. He didnt show up at the house, the police made the decision to issue a warrant. NBC But the series ended after some negative headlines, which included one of the show's targets dying by . So if you talk to psychiatrists, they will tell you when you interview guys who are in prison and have nothing to lose, they say, if theyve been caught once, theyve done it three or four times. But no assignment has made him as familiar a face to audiences as To Catch a Predator, the hidden camera segment-turned-series in which Hansen and a team of decoys helped to expose a parade of Internet sex predators in a series of bizarre encounters that began with chocolate chip cookies and sweet tea and ended with Hansen instructing the suspect to have a seat.. Dumb. In fact, I'm going to give serious thought to reaching out to some people who could take part in that. It's always the potential predator that does that., One commenter noted how odd it seems when people actually take the cookies and/or sweet tea being offered to them by the decoy, to which Hansen replied that Probably 30% of them do. Hear behind the scenes details and find out. Filming & Production In October of that year, the project, dubbed Hansen vs. Anyway, the other decoys are Amanda (blonde from Georgia), Scott (guy from Flagler), and Palumbo's bottom boy (I wish they had used him more). Although one night, the brownies were left out overnight, and the first predator the next morning almost broke a tooth, they were so hard.. The minors are adults impersonating underage persons (generally ages 13-15) in online chats. He knew hed face 10 years in prison for each image. After cutting away to another man's story, Dateline shows Todd outside the house as cops rush up to him, shouting that he should throw himself to the ground. Nor do they raise the issue of having sex. The alleged conversations with the suspects escalated to sexually graphic conversations very quickly, the sheriffs office said. To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. Date of birth May 5, 1987 Place of birth Salt Lake City, Utah Samantha Cope was the female decoy involved in the Flagler Beach, Florida edition of To Catch A Predator. Several of the suspects are also accused of sending videos of themselves masturbating. On the day before Valentine's Day 2007, Todd went to prison. Is he former military? Todd knew he'd made a stupid mistake, he said, but it wasn't anything twisted. I dont think so. You just don't put them in that situation." On her weekly two-hour drives to the prison, Dianna would be greeted by an increasingly fragile and withdrawn Todd. This wasnt the first time my office has worked with SOSA to apprehend child predators, and I hope theyll continue to be available to assist with our child predator program in the future, said West. she asked. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Todd had been arrested for trying to solicit sex from a decoy disguised as an underage girl. Johnson told Dianna, "I don't think this man has any natural propensity to be a child molester.". "He called a few days later, and we were pretty much together after that." If he was released as a convicted sex offender, he would have to adhere to a strict set of rules. Like Vincent Ambrosio. It was a hit. The Dark Truth Behind The U.S. Alliance For Election Excellence! Now, the decoy girls have. "Fourteen," he admitted, his voice cracking. But what isn't often shown is the grief and humiliation of those closest to the predators, particularly their wives and girlfriends. "He came all this way!" "While it is never easy to accept that someone you know, even online, has been convicted of such a horrific crime, it is important that you, the general public, be made aware of this serious offense." "You can make a request to the superior court," said Wadkins, "but there is no judge in Georgia who is going to let your husband live with your daughters.". And we also have means to find out more about these people before they actually show up. Jeffrey Stacey - Predator: It's a question! "I thought Todd was my soulmate. He posed a significant danger. "I wasn't OK with what he did, but I wasn't OK with him staying in jail, either. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2338787/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1. They were going to go to school with that on their shoulders every day," Dianna recalls. The women decoys can sound like children unlike the men, men have deeper voices than women so its hard for someone with a deeper . One thing you see a lot about today is how difficult it is for sex offenders to find jobs and housing when they get out. Every time they walked by a young girl, she glared at him to make sure he wasn't ogling her. Based on what we found in tonight's investigation, that's an apt . Samantha Cope Weve been absolutely transparent about our methodology who the decoys are, where the police are, etc. The reality is some of the people who were in the investigation were arrested in similar stings later. 2023 USSA News, The Tea Party's Front Page. | Sokol has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted sexual assault and is awaiting trial. From left: Jessica, Dianna and Rachel Strawder in the home they once shared with Todd. The mark would arrive at a camera-rigged decoy house, where Hansen would emerge with his signature line: Why dont you have a seat? After a brief, squirmy interview, police would swoop in for an arrest. The stings follow a pattern: A man trolling online for sex exchanges lurid messages with a pseudo-youngster, expressing his interest in hooking up with, for example, a 14-year-old virgin. Many in the medical community argue that people with sexual proclivities toward youth have a disorder. Trace Turkelson, William Copeland IV, Cody Ewing, Tracy Fisher, and Otha Smith III (Canadian County Sheriffs Office). He handed Todd two consecutive 10-year sentences. She felt she had to give him a second chance, even though it wouldn't be an easy choice to live with. When asked whether his famous have a seat line will be utilized in the new show, Hansen confirmed, Yes, of course. It's about me being a good mother." Investigators said all five of the alleged predators cooperated with authorities and admitted to their intentions when they met these decoys.. 2023 Cond Nast. Click this link for the original source of this article. Extremely disturbing: 5 men charged in child predator sting using decoys posing as 14 and 15 year olds. Ad Choices. We do a vast amount of research on these men: does he have a concealed weapons permit? On the drive home, Dianna sobbed. Life as the wife of a convicted sex predator was relentlessly demoralizing. To Catch A Predator - The Predator That Brought His Own Decoy ,To Catch A Predator Caught A Teenager They Felt So Sorry For, That They Didn't Even Air This E. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. Dateline returned to the spotlight in 2004, when a segment Hansen did with the cyber-vigilante group Perverted Justice catching men attempting to arrange sexual encounters with underage teenagers, "To Catch A Predator," garnered a huge amount of publicity. Absolutely. We did, and I think we handled it fairly responsibly. He battled tabloid stories of an extramarital affair. "Minors in towels. All Dianna could sputter out was "What the hell?". Predator will differ from To Catch a Predator, Hansen said that, We would change the way that we communicate with predators, because there are so many more ways to communicate online than there were when we began. "I believe that people should be able to redeem themselves.". When the man arrives, Dateline and the police pounce. If some retired reporter from the Houston Chronicle with his glasses down his nose wants to take me to task, thats fine. When Dianna was 15, she'd been sexually molested by an older man. A talented amateur artist who managed a costume shop, he'd always been wonderful with her children. But fans kept asking him to bring back the stings, and last year Hansen mounted a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $90,000 for a reboot called "Hansen vs. Predator.". Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Dumb.". While Todd waited in jail, Dianna kept a low profile; outside of Todd's family, the only people who knew what had happened were a few trusted friends. Hello I am looking for a clip from an episode of to catch a predator. The only bright spot: He could be eligible for parole within a year or two. That night when she told her girls, they were ecstatic. Dianna stood up, hurled the phone at the window and stalked out of his sight without saying another word. Dianna expected to feel more settled after their quiet elopement, but the opposite proved true. ", The couple sought counseling from retired Episcopal priest Father R. Dean Johnson and his wife, Anna Johnson, a therapist. Included was a link to Perverted Justice's website, which had posted Todd's chat with the Dateline decoy. She had to ask herself: Who is this man I said I'd marry? And how will I put our lives back together? Place of birth This wasnt the first time my office has worked with SOSA to apprehend child predators, and I hope theyll continue to be available to assist with our child predator program in the future, said West. Is there a fear that amping things up with television cameras will worsen the issues depression, self-harm? Trending pages Nervous Nellie/Nelly Casey Mauro Del Harvey Male HvP Decoy Emily Bicks Dani Miura Dan Schrack Lindsay Faye Wagner All items (10) # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O Thats all its about. She'd had time to ask only if he was OK and had no details of what he'd done. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. Todd seemed like the furthest thing from that," she says. Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said SOSA provided investigators with real-time communications with the alleged predators and other resources throughout the operation. Dumb. Three months later there was an additional blow. When we began, we used chatrooms on AOL and Yahoo! "I kept asking myself, Am I a lunatic for putting this man near my children?". Chris Hansen hosts the "To Catch a Predator" segment on "Dateline NBC" in this 2006 photo. Samantha Cope was the female decoy involved in the Flagler Beach, Florida edition of To Catch A Predator. I still think he's nice. Longtime viewers of the show might remember that many of the predators were asked to bring along some Mikes Hard Lemonade, which didnt sit so well with the beverage-makers. So, it wasn't really entrapment. Her thoughts turned to Dateline; their lives would change dramatically when the episode aired in a few months. Because Todd had been arrested in Georgia, where penalties for these crimes tend to be severe, he was given one of the harsher sentences in Dateline history. Have you come to have views on this? Got this from the To Catch a Predator fandom wiki. You shouldnt be going after kids online, and no matter how many we do, they will be out there. Im not judging the guy. Decoy Highlights From To Catch a Predator - Part 1 (TCAP Compilation) 8,373 views Aug 7, 2022 Links: .more .more 178 Dislike Share Save Nathan Tagalong 9.33K subscribers 56 My excuse to. And that drama, I think, is part of what draws people to watch this. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the pretense of sexual contact and then . ", But Dianna is still not convinced that Todd is a sex predator. "Rachel didn't say a word to me for two weeks," she says. Israeli Minister Tells US Envoy to Mind his Business on Judicial Reforms. What the woman told her next made Dianna's hands and knees tremble so hard she had to pull over to the side of the road. Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said SOSA provided investigators with real-time communications with the alleged predators and other resources throughout the operation. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. This was the happiness she was holding out for? Does he own a gun? Or to keep it anonymous, click here. According to a news release from the Canadian County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), the five suspects taken into custody include Trace Turkelson, 22, of Elgin; Cody Ewing, 27, of Yukon; Tracy Fisher, 41, of Tulsa; William Copeland IV, 29, of Calhan, CO; and Otha Smith . It was the roommate of her fianc, Todd West. Nonprofit journalism about criminal justice, A nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system, Intimate portraits of people who have been touched by the criminal justice system. So were Aeon Flux, Borat and The Swiss Family Robinson. A life where Todd could meet her daughters only in public and only if at least six unrelated adults were present? I said, How did you know that? And he said, I watch the show all the time, and when I miss an episode, I download it from the Internet., There was only one investigation where some of the cases were not prosecuted," Hansen explained when asked about a story that a handful of cases were thrown out due to a legal technicality. To this day, Dianna believes Todd's story. He'd tried to do the right thing, she told herself. Do you wrestle with the idea that these people are sick and need treatment? For more information, please see our Others might argue otherwise, but I think its justifiable. Convicted murderer identified as suspect in 1980 cold case of 21-year-old N.J. woman foun The Construction Surge in Judea and Samaria Will Return. He burst into tears. Her fianc, she learned, had been caught in a sting orchestrated by the popular Dateline: To Catch a Predator series. 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