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. I know Ive been taken to task by the Poynter Institute and some old-line journalists, but I think we had to evolve into what was the right thing to do. Snoo_85712. Several of the suspects are also accused of sending videos of themselves masturbating. But with the help of a new Kickstarter campaign, Hansen is hoping to change that and unleash a new seriesthe forebodingly titled Hansen vs. Predatoron the world. According to a news release from the Canadian County Sheriffs 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 III, 37, of Linden, Texas. To Catch a Predator: With Chris Hansen, Stone Phillips, Del Harvey, Dennis Kerr. NEW EVIDENCE! Friends advised Dianna to leave him, saying that a criminal shouldn't be around her children. ", But in other ways, life remained eerily uneventful. According to the sheriffs office, Otha Smith traveled the farthest of the five suspects, driving about five hours to meet one of the decoy actresses at a hotel. "I don't know," he says. 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. | Two, its compelling television. The minors are adults impersonating underage persons (generally ages 13-15) in online chats. On Wednesday night, Hansen took part in a Reddit AMA to discuss his (hopefully) soon-to-be series and the segment that started it all. Knowing that youre behind us means so much. The predator is talking to the decoy and says "I am really glad this isnt a sting" right before Chris Hansen comes walking over the sand dunes. The alleged conversations with the suspects escalated to sexually graphic conversations very quickly, the sheriffs office said. Weve been absolutely transparent about our methodology who the decoys are, where the police are, etc. Todd seemed like the furthest thing from that," she says. On her weekly two-hour drives to the prison, Dianna would be greeted by an increasingly fragile and withdrawn Todd. The decoy never makes the first move. the woman said. The cameras show a man walking up to the front door. "But if I were you, I'd leave him. Theyre either defending themselves, explaining themselves, or confessing their sins. We dont go above 14 for the victims age, just so it is a clear case. If you view these people as sick, how do you square that? The fanbase is loyal for a few reasons. One, who doesnt want to go after child predators? The show didn't ultimately cave to criticism about "entrapment." By going to the location of their own volition to try and sleep with someone they believed to be a minor, the perps on To Catch a Predator were freely attempting to engage in illegal activity on their own. NBC But the series ended after some negative headlines, which included one of the show's targets dying by . "He did a bad thing. In the past three years, with the help of an organization called Perverted Justicea vigilante Internet group whose volunteers pose as children to flush out potential sex offendersDateline has shown on national television the capture of more than 263 men, many of whom were seeking sex with minors. From there, things only get worse. Do you black out his face? When she first told him why Todd was in prison, he exploded, saying, "I don't want that piece of st around my kids!" But if its kids, its really simple. Israeli Minister Tells US Envoy to Mind his Business on Judicial Reforms. And experts in the field say when it comes to female predators, you're more likely to see the teacher/student scenario, as opposed to someone meeting anonymously online. The site poked fun at Dianna. 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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. "You don't know anything?" Several of the suspects are also accused of sending videos of themselves masturbating. Two weeks after Todd went to jail, a Perverted Justice fan sent an e-mail to Todd's online friends. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. But she's the GOAT decoy. Jeffrey Stacey - Predator: It's a question! Dianna stared at him, tears blurring her vision. Can we count on your support today? Three months later there was an additional blow. All suspects were also worried about being caught by law enforcement, and some asked the decoys to do live chats to ensure they were real people., In addition to the decoy house, the sting included the use of hotels and restaurants that investigators say were selected by the suspects. Salt Lake City, Utah "If they put this partthe part where the family has to clean up the messin the TV show, I don't think the ratings would be nearly as high," Dianna says. Not everyone felt so generous toward Todd. "Todd is in trouble, baby," Dianna replied. We did, and I think we handled it fairly responsibly. "We've hired a young-looking 19-year-old named Amanda to play the part of . As each mile passed, Dianna's anger mounted. Many in the medical community argue that people with sexual proclivities toward youth have a disorder. They are part of me, my absolute priority. 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. He battled tabloid stories of an extramarital affair. "Crime Watch Daily" host Chris Hansen, at right, speaks with Jeff Sokol, a man who police say drove two and a half hours to meet a 13-year-old girl. 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. Their route took them along Interstate 85, the same highway Todd had driven on the way to his planned hookup. Samantha Cote Jessica told her mother that evening at home: "I wanted to tell them how great Todd was. 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. The suspects are accused of sending nude photos to the decoys and describing sex acts the arrestees desired to perform with the purported girls. Her head spinning, Dianna couldn't imagine what her sweet, gentle Toddthe man who surprised her on Sunday mornings with Spanish omelets and cried when his cats were sickhad done. You shouldnt be going after kids online, and no matter how many we do, they will be out there. Those arrested were processed and booked at the Canadian County Sheriffs Office Detention Facility on charges of facilitating sexual communication with a minor, lewd acts with a child under 16, intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance to a minor, and violations of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act. Have you come to have views on this? Have I done my daughters irreparable harm? Todd made her feel nurtured, something she'd rarely experienced with a man. "I could feel them feeling sorry for me," she says. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu. Authorities say that SOSA provided the operation with two female actresses who acted as bait. It's not that I think he was trying to actually have sex with a 14-year-old girl. The site also posted a profile about Todd's crime, with links to his e-mail address, IM names and phone number. And Dianna, a 34-year-old divorced mother of two adolescent daughters, was about to endure the private agonies behind what has become a very public form of entertainment. 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. She is the best women decoy and decoy in general in that show. Todd knew he'd made a stupid mistake, he said, but it wasn't anything twisted. Included was a link to Perverted Justice's website, which had posted Todd's chat with the Dateline decoy. Johnson told Dianna, "I don't think this man has any natural propensity to be a child molester.". I dont think there is any way he could have known it was Chris Hansen and Dateline outside. Dianna didn't remember all the specifics, but she knew that he couldn't be around any books or movies that featured minors. 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