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. It all comes down to family. 15 years ago I was 18 and inviting men into my Nana's house isn't that what all freshman girls in college should be doing on their spring break?To Catch A P. We try to work it the best way for justice. Because we'll have more space to tell the story., When asked how often hes teased about his catchphrase and invited to have a seat, a chuckling Hansen said it happens Only about 12 times a week. Dateline To Catch A Predator 7 Petaluma, California 1 X 264. It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 12 - 15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. May 5, 1987 "Minors in towels. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. You just don't put them in that situation." The communications included video chats, text messages, phone calls, and direct messages on social media platforms. Rachel called Todd, exulting, "Mom says she'll still marry you. Author: Jerry Lambe. Five men in Oklahoma have been arrested after law enforcement authorities conducted a four-day sting to catch child sex predators. 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. ", Dianna carefully explained and told her daughters that though she wasn't sure about the future of the relationship, she was going to get Todd out of jail and take him to his home. While reruns of To Catch a Predator still air regularly, no new episodes have been shot since 2007. [emailprotected]. ", On September 22, 2006, Todd's episode of Dateline: To Catch a Predator aired. 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. Children spend hours chatting online with their friends, and sometimes with strangers. 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. "You deserve better than this," he repeatedly told her. "Um-hmm," he responds. 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 was trying to live normally, but I had this incredibly depressed person on my hands," says Dianna. "He called a few days later, and we were pretty much together after that." From there, things only get worse. To Catch a Predator . (When Glamour asked Perverted Justice about Todd's claim that the decoy lured him back, a spokesperson said, "A decoy will often call the suspect to ensure he's not lost on the way to the home." "He knew that Todd had acted like an idiot," says Dianna. It was devoted to impersonating To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. ), When asked about the most surprising reaction he ever received from one of his predator encounters, Hansen admitted that it was recognition. Company Credits She adds, "I abandoned my kids once when I was addicted to drugs, but I've made a promise to myself never to do that again. The decoy then tells the man her parents are away and invites him "home"to a house outfitted with hidden cameras. A talented amateur artist who managed a costume shop, he'd always been wonderful with her children. To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 12 - 15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over the Internet for sexual liaisons. Do you black out his face? "I kept asking myself, Am I a lunatic for putting this man near my children?". 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. She'd had time to ask only if he was OK and had no details of what he'd done. "But if I were you, I'd leave him. He knew hed face 10 years in prison for each image. As long as you tell people exactly what youre doing, they can decide whether they want to watch it. What is the English language plot outline for To Catch a Predator (2004)? And sometimes they freak out. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. Dianna stared at him, tears blurring her vision. But in an egregious case where someone is very aggressive, and poses a threat to child, if hes 19 or 20, well allow him to come in. To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. Every night Dianna and her girls got nasty anonymous phone calls, the mildest of which called Todd a "sicko pervert." Knowing that youre behind us means so much. In her conflicted frame of mind, she began thinking ahead to the next year, when Todd could possibly be out on parole. Todd knew he'd made a stupid mistake, he said, but it wasn't anything twisted. No matter what, you can always turn to The Marshall Project as a source of trustworthy journalism about the criminal justice system. At first Todd insisted he'd thought the girl he'd met in an online chat room was 18. Until we deal with this as a society and reduce the demand, were going to have this problem. "Thank you," Todd whispered when she arrived. Five men in Oklahoma have been arrested after law enforcement authorities conducted a four-day sting to catch child sex predators. The fanbase is loyal for a few reasons. In fact, I'm going to give serious thought to reaching out to some people who could take part in that. He later calmed down, but he still thought that Dianna should leave Todd. As the couple left the courthouse, strangers approached Dianna, saying, "We're praying for you.". I think we evolve and get smarter every time we do it. We had a guy in the last investigation who, when police searched his car, had a loaded gun, duct tape, and a camera, and wanted to take this 13-year-old for a ride. All rights reserved. She had to ask herself: Who is this man I said I'd marry? A life where Todd could meet her daughters only in public and only if at least six unrelated adults were present? It's a whole 'nother playing field now. In October of this year, Dianna made up her mind to divorce Todd. Thats all its about. So, whats he going to do when hes a cop, when he has ultimate power over somebody? The women decoys can sound like children unlike the men, men have deeper voices than women so its hard for someone with a deeper . Todd had been arrested for trying to solicit sex from a decoy disguised as an underage girl. They are part of me, my absolute priority. Do people say to you, they should be punished, but not shamed? When we began, we used chatrooms on AOL and Yahoo! "I don't know," he says. 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. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. She often wondered, Am I the example I want to be? In October of that year, the project, dubbed Hansen vs. To Catch a Predator Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. So were Aeon Flux, Borat and The Swiss Family Robinson. 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. In the hallway she heard teachers whisper about the episode, saying, "One of guys even had a fiance! Did you decide to show Ambrosios face on television? "He did a bad thing. Predator, conducted a sting operation in conjunction with local police in Fairfield, Connecticut. Dianna expected to feel more settled after their quiet elopement, but the opposite proved true. Dumb. But with the help of a new Kickstarter campaign, Hansen is hoping to change that and unleash a. She continues, "What are some of your ideas?" The elaborate sting was a joint operation between CCSO and the nonprofit organization Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA). the woman said. But this whole mess has become more trouble than it's worth.". Extremely disturbing: 5 men charged in child predator sting using decoys posing as 14 and 15 year olds. If he was released as a convicted sex offender, he would have to adhere to a strict set of rules. If we find out theres potential danger, the police arrest him before he comes in we dont want a dangerous situation. And how will I put our lives back together? But eventually the girls forgave Dianna, though they remain angry at Todd's sentence and upset about the way that Dateline tore apart their lives. Dumb. ", Months later Dianna and her daughters met with Bob Wadkins, Todd's public defender, to discuss Todd's probation restrictions in detail. Chris Hansen - Host: [Chris Hansen, as he reads to Jeffrey Stacey from the chat log transcript of his conversation with the decoy] You ask her if she's horny. More than anything, she worried that her decision to stay with Todd could hurt her girls. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. What did you learn about the fanbase? Im not the moral arbiter of society. 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. Chris Hansen is doing gods work. Then that changed too. With the visitor's phone held tightly in her hand, she asked him the question that had been gnawing at her: "How old did she say she was?" "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. We rarely will engage with a teenager who is hitting on a 13 or 14 year-old. So, it wasn't really entrapment. Is there a fear that amping things up with television cameras will worsen the issues depression, self-harm? On the drive home, Dianna sobbed. Chris talks with Casey Mauro, who was the decoy actress in the Dateline NBC To Catch A Predator investigation episodes in New Jersey and Kentucky. He told her he'd started chatting online with the girl because he was scared of getting married. Its the nature of the Internet the anonymity, the addictive quality, the 24/7 access. Authorities say that SOSA provided the operation with two female actresses who acted as bait. "I could feel them feeling sorry for me," she says. Can we count on your support today? She'd told her mother, who had confronted the abuser, but charges were never pressed. She and the girls decided to do a walk-through of their apartment and make a list of all the things that would have to go when Todd came home. 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. Trace Turkelson, William Copeland IV, Cody Ewing, Tracy Fisher, and Otha Smith III (Canadian County Sheriffs Office). 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. There was also the matter of her dignity; Todd had cheated on her in the most humiliating way possible. Dianna's ex-husband had similar feelings. Home. In his 30-plus-year career as an investigative journalist, Chris Hansen has had occasion to come into contact with all sorts of criminal types. Privacy Policy. I think it would be socially irresponsible and somewhat dangerous. Glamour may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. 'D done began, we used chatrooms on AOL and Yahoo humiliating possible. Could meet her daughters only in public and only if he was OK and had details. 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