TX - DA Refuses To Prosecute Pedophile Caught On "To Catch A Predator"

[White Rain]

MURPHY, Texas — A sting in which police teamed up with "Dateline NBC" to catch online pedophiles was supposed to send a flinty-eyed, Texas-style warning about this Dallas suburb: Don't mess with Murphy.
Instead, it has turned into a fiasco.
One of the 25 men caught in the sting — a prosecutor from a neighboring county — committed suicide when police came to arrest him. The Murphy city manager who approved the operation lost his job in the ensuing furor.
And the district attorney is refusing to prosecute any of the men, saying many of the cases were tainted by the involvement of amateurs.
"Certainly these people should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but the fact that this was all done for television cameras raises some questions," said Mayor Bret Baldwin.
It is the first time in nine "Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator" stings across the country in the past year and a half that prosecutors did not pursue charges.
"Dateline" has made prime-time entertainment out of contacting would-be child molesters over the Internet, luring them to a meeting place, and videotaping their humiliating confrontations with reporter Chris Hansen.
more at link http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287209,00.html

 

[Opie]

"...taping their humiliating confrontations with reporter..."

As if I could care any less about their being humiliated. What about the HARM they are doing to CHILDREN? Is that fine and dandy?

Perhaps this is not truly the best way to catch these perverts, but at least someone is trying to do something about them.

As for the guy who shot himself, again, whose fault is that?

 

[White Rain]

"...taping their humiliating confrontations with reporter..."

As if I could care any less about their being humiliated. What about the HARM they are doing to CHILDREN? Is that fine and dandy?

Perhaps this is not truly the best way to catch these perverts, but at least someone is trying to do something about them.

As for the guy who shot himself, again, whose fault is that?

And he was a prosecutor! Depending on how long he'd been a prosecutor he probably prosecuted a few pedos himself!
It's not the shows and/or polices fault he killed himself...it's his for being a sicko and putting himself into a position where he would be ousted.
I have no sympathy for him...one less pedo out there that could possibly harm a child.

 

[southcitymom]

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Something about "To Catch a Predator" really rubs me the wrong way. There was a long thread about it on here once. It wreaks of entrapment to me.

I'm all about getting pedos off the streets, but I just don't know if this is the way. The DA seems to me to make some good points about why these cases can't be prosecuted. Certain things have to be done right to properly prosecute.

I might respect "To Catch A Predator" if it had LE's and the DA's support and approval. But I doubt LE and the DA would support a reality tv show of their operations - just too much conflict of interest inherent in that proposition.

 

[Silver~Bell]

As a Texan, it gets me angry that some of our cities and towns and counties are not very interested in pursuing criminals. I'm in a clean-living place but right next door one county over, the law enforcement is pathetic and the prosecutors are worse. I give as an example the lack of prosecution in the Pyote boys incarceration scandal.

I'm not buying what the DA says. It's excuses, excuses. Let me tell you, if it were something that was a high priority with him, he'd be on it right away.

Texas isn't alone in this -- a Navy officer was shot in cold blood by joyriders in Anacortes, WA, and the DA refused to seek the death penalty, despite the parents, friends, and community screaming for it. He's no longer DA.

 

[LionRun]

The scums internet pedo perps were trolling to meet young victims who were lost or needy enough to meet with them. I agree, no excuses. I don't believe it is entrapment at all. These pigs were looking to find girls or boys to sexually abuse-period. As for the amateur angle. I don't see how that is a factor. LE hears the words back and forth, so they know how it is going down. They can simply not press charges if an amateur makes a mistake in what he/she says to one of the creeps. The others should be prosecuted.

Lion

 

[2luvmy]

I might respect "To Catch A Predator" if it had LE's and the DA's support and approval. But I doubt LE and the DA would support a reality tv show of their operations - just too much conflict of interest inherent in that proposition.

They do have their support. After the person walks out of the house they are arrested and the conversations, tapes , etc. are handed over to the police.

 

[ronniejo]

luring them to a meeting place, and videotaping their humiliating confrontations

So many of these pervs video tape and humiliate thier victims. Now the cameras are turned and they arent liking it!

 

[Dark Knight]

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Something about "To Catch a Predator" really rubs me the wrong way. There was a long thread about it on here once. It wreaks of entrapment to me.

I'm all about getting pedos off the streets, but I just don't know if this is the way. The DA seems to me to make some good points about why these cases can't be prosecuted. Certain things have to be done right to properly prosecute.

I might respect "To Catch A Predator" if it had LE's and the DA's support and approval. But I doubt LE and the DA would support a reality tv show of their operations - just too much conflict of interest inherent in that proposition.

The police are almost always a part of the operation and arrest them on the spot.

 

[Dark Knight]

They do have their support. After the person walks out of the house they are arrested and the conversations, tapes , etc. are handed over to the police.

Yeppers! Heaven forbid there is ever any justice in this country, right? Someone might get their little feelings hurt or something! :doh:

 

[Jesstexas]

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Something about "To Catch a Predator" really rubs me the wrong way. There was a long thread about it on here once. It wreaks of entrapment to me.

I'm all about getting pedos off the streets, but I just don't know if this is the way. The DA seems to me to make some good points about why these cases can't be prosecuted. Certain things have to be done right to properly prosecute.

I might respect "To Catch A Predator" if it had LE's and the DA's support and approval. But I doubt LE and the DA would support a reality tv show of their operations - just too much conflict of interest inherent in that proposition.

It might reek of entrapment (heck, it is entrapment), but what's the alternative? LE can't catch these creeps in the actual act of molesting a kid, so that leaves catching the creep AFTER they've molested a kid. I vote for entrapment.

 

[ziggy]

Wow, I'm so disappointed. Texas of all places. I've always admired Texans and their guts.

DA's should take a look at Mike Nifong and realize that they MUST serve the public interest.

Hopefully someone will put the public pressure on the DA and make a spectacle of him. Public humiliation can be a good thing.

 

[southcitymom]

It might reek of entrapment (heck, it is entrapment), but what's the alternative? LE can't catch these creeps in the actual act of molesting a kid, so that leaves catching the creep AFTER they've molested a kid. I vote for entrapment.

Entrapment is against the law. If you agree that it is entrapment, you should be working hard to change the law so that these cases can stand up in Court and not go away - as the ones mentioned in this article seem to be doing.

LE do catch perps in stings like this on a regular basis. We read about it all the time - we just don't get to watch it. And those cases actually seem to get proscuted and put people behind bars.

 

[Hermione]

"...taping their humiliating confrontations with reporter..."

As if I could care any less about their being humiliated. What about the HARM they are doing to CHILDREN? Is that fine and dandy?

Perhaps this is not truly the best way to catch these perverts, but at least someone is trying to do something about them.

As for the guy who shot himself, again, whose fault is that?

I completely agree. It's sick that these people who went to a location thinking they were going to have sexual relations with a CHILD, seems to have more rights than the children we should all be protecting.

Entrapment? Well, I agree this may not be the most ideal method of catching these people BUT....if they were upstanding members of society, they would NOT be chatting up people they think are kids online and then going to meet them after having explicit chats with them and making it clear what they want to do to them, believing they are underage.

I don't think there's anything to speak of for the rights of these people who are being caught in stings. They wouldn't be STUNG if they weren't soliciting kids in the first place. It's not like you could innocently be caught up in the sting operation- they are asking for the age of the person in the chats...and believing they are 10 years old for example, they are soliciting them to meet them for sex acts. It's sick. I repeat...no innocent person can be busted at this. They are guilty.

 

[MeoW333]

It sounds like they wanted to pull the plug on 'to catch a predator' since they were afraid more prosecutors or public figures may be culprits. Sounds like a cover up to me. I say they should go on with the show. Make more of these perverts scared they will get caught. That prosecutor probably shot himself since aside from the public embarrassment, potential loss of job, he couldn't bare to be a victim in TX's prison system.

 

[Silver~Bell]

I don't buy the "entrapment" thing b/c other places are prosecuting such cases just fine, by using Craigslist (which has lots of perverts using it) to "meet" people placing ads (for sex w/minors, for using public places for sex, etc.) and then they arrest them...responding to an ad or a chatroom ISN'T entrapment, it is the PERVS making the suggestions and the first moves...

 

[ziggy]

You can't be entrapped if you don't have bad intentions. Keep your nose clean and you'll be fine.

 

[Peter Hamilton]

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Something about "To Catch a Predator" really rubs me the wrong way. There was a long thread about it on here once. It wreaks of entrapment to me.

I'm all about getting pedos off the streets, but I just don't know if this is the way. The DA seems to me to make some good points about why these cases can't be prosecuted. Certain things have to be done right to properly prosecute.

I might respect "To Catch A Predator" if it had LE's and the DA's support and approval. But I doubt LE and the DA would support a reality tv show of their operations - just too much conflict of interest inherent in that proposition.

--Entrapment? lol--These guys are pigs--They know these girls are 13 or 14 and fully intended to have sex with them--That is Statutory Rape--If you came home and found your 13 year old daughter having sex with one of these fat old ugly freaks, I'm sure you'd feel differently

 

[mysteriew]

The scums internet pedo perps were trolling to meet young victims who were lost or needy enough to meet with them. I agree, no excuses. I don't believe it is entrapment at all. These pigs were looking to find girls or boys to sexually abuse-period. As for the amateur angle. I don't see how that is a factor. LE hears the words back and forth, so they know how it is going down. They can simply not press charges if an amateur makes a mistake in what he/she says to one of the creeps. The others should be prosecuted.

Lion

So is the prosecutor saying that if a person witnesses a robbery, but the robbery was not seen by police that it can't be prosecuted?

The volunteers witness attempts to groom, attempts to make arrangements for sexual activity (said explicitly in the conversations), often receive graphic pictures of an explicit sexual nature and because they aren't "professionals" they can't act as a witness? The conversations and graphic materials they receive cannot be accepted as evidence in court because "non professionals" were involved?

The pros. office just opened themselves up to every criminal. All a criminal has to do in that area now is to say- hey, you can't prosecute me for a robbery- no professionals saw it and any evidence you obtained from the witness doesn't count because it comes from a non-professional.

My guess is that the prosecutor knew the prosecutor who committed suicide and isn't prosecuting because of that. Forgetting that while in office he is representing the people, not his personal interests. Or he is lazy and doesn't want to review the accumulated evidence for any errors.
Either that or he himself has a guilty conscience.

 

[Peter Hamilton]

It might reek of entrapment (heck, it is entrapment), but what's the alternative? LE can't catch these creeps in the actual act of molesting a kid, so that leaves catching the creep AFTER they've molested a kid. I vote for entrapment.

--lol--totally agree--who cares what it's called? Dateline has sent hundreds of these lowlifes to prison--and the point is, just think how many potential perverts will now never molest any of these young girls anymore because of fear, fear from seeing all these Dateline shows