NBC Sting Shakes Up Texas Town
By GRANT SLATER,AP
Posted: 2007-06-28 18:37:41
Filed Under: Crime News, TV, Law, Nation
MURPHY, Texas (June 28) - 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.


Ron Heflin, AP NBC 'Dateline' used this home in Murphy, Texas, to lure would-be child molestors. The city manager who helped NBC set up the sting lost his job.

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.

"Dateline" works with an activist group called Perverted Justice, which supplies adults who troll Internet chat rooms, posing as underage boys and girls, and try to collect incriminating sex talk.

City manager Craig Sherwood approved such an operation in this well-to-do community of 11,000 after being approached by "Dateline" and Perverted Justice, but he never informed the mayor or the City Council. He said secrecy was necessary for the sting to be effective.

Over four days in November, 24 men were arrested at a two-story home in one of Murphy's newer neighborhoods after allegedly arranging to meet boys or girls there.

Some other suspects contacted Perverted Justice decoys online but never showed up at the house. 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.

As police knocked at his door and a "Dateline" camera crew waited in the street, Conradt shot himself.

His sister, Patricia Conradt, told the City Council that police acted as "a judge, jury and executioner that was encouraged by an out-of-control reality show."

Then, last month, Collin County District Attorney John Roach dropped all charges. He said that in 16 of the cases, he had no jurisdiction, since neither the suspects nor the decoys were in the county during the online chats.

As for the rest of the cases, he said neither police nor NBC could guarantee the chat logs were authentic and complete.

"The fact that somebody besides police officers were involved is what makes this case bad," said Roach, who was informed of the sting in advance but did not participate. "If professionals had been running the show, they would have done a much better job rather than being at the beck and call of outsiders."

As details of the suicide emerged, Murphy's mayor, City Council and most of its residents learned for the first time that potential molesters were being luring to their city. Many were furious.

"They can chase predators all they want, but they shouldn't 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.

Bryan Whorton, who lives with his wife and baby across the street from the house, said his neighborhood was put in danger. Cars sped up and down the street and police sprinted from hiding spots, guns drawn, to arrest suspects, he said. One suspect dropped a bag of crack, Whorton said.

"This is a family community. It didn't look kosher at all," he said.

Two weeks ago, the City Council voted to buy out the city manager's contract for $255,000.

NBC's Hansen said Murphy is the only place the show has encountered such resistance.

"I don't want to get involved in the DA's business or the police business," he said. "I can tell you in the other locations, these issues did not come up."

Eric Nichols, a Texas deputy attorney general, said that when law enforcement authorities pull an Internet sex sting, officers posing as decoys follow strict rules. Detailed chat logs are kept to ensure that "sex talk" is initiated by the potential predator. That way, a defendant cannot claim entrapment.

Eric Chase, a defense attorney specializing in sex crimes, said stings are the job of police, not TV crews. "Police should not be abdicating a very important function to either private organizations or entertainment organizations," he said.


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2007-06-28 16:53:31

The show has some significant legal challenges too. It was a great tool to raise awareness and I think they could have done more education on the show. Now they have gotten over zealous and are causing this type of problem. They also have had trouble in some prosecutions because they are essentially charging people with thinking about committing a crime. They never have a minor present, so no actual infraction against a child ever takes place. People are challenging on the idea that you cannot prosecute thought or intent if opportunity is not there.

Not condoning any of this, just trying to add to the conversation. I would be OK with these creeps being sodomized with a pineapple.

So...a prosecutor gets caught and commits suicide...and as reprisal the D.A. won't prosecute any of these creeps?!?!?!?!

WTF!!!!!

Why'd he kill himself because he got caught? What do you want sympathy for child predators? F@#k him!

FUCK THAT!!!!!

1) predator contacted via chat
2) predator spoke sexuality explicitly with a child
3) predator ACTUALLY showed up to meet child.


Yes. Judge, Jury, Jail him!!!!


M

I have BIG issues with this show. I think it's a disgusting display of entrapment (similar to COPS but less exploitive of races and poor people). Sure these people they arrest and all are committing crimes and such and are doing wrong. Most of them are pretty darn stupid too. I actually wonder if there ARE 15 yr old girls out there that DO meet up with these people. I find that very hard to believe ...or even younger. They must apparently, otherwise sting operations like this would not exist. But I take issue with these folks being snared for what is essentially "consensual". They are not hanging out at your playgrounds snatching up kids and molesting them. Not that it makes what they are doing more right, but I take issue with portraying these people as predatoring and dangerous criminals...and I esp take issue with catching them on camera and presenting it to the public as entertainment.

Please don't take me the wrong way. I do think what these people are doing is wrong, but I think what this show does is almost as bad.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Right on!!

People are such pussies these days.

superspaceboy said:

i'm torn on this, too. nothing wrong with catching and prosecuting these guys. but putting them on national tv is troublesome, especially since there are wives, children, siblings, etc. involved - i worry about them. we may not have much sympathy for a potential predator committing suicide, but how would we feel if one of his children did?
[Edited 6/29/07 10:01am]

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

HELL YEAH!!!

I was watching once, I had to turn it off..it made my stomache turn, I know all this is out there, but my heart can't take it. I fear for all the times this wasn't a lure, and some perverted male went knocking at the door of a stupid teenage girl.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

HELL YEAH!!!

superspaceboy said:

This is just my opinion. YES, there are. Boys too. When I was that age I had hormones raging, I could just imagine if there was an internet back then. Scary. I knew a couple of girls that were seeing guys way older than they were.

M

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

OK...so if there WAS an internet back then. What would you have done? Would you have tried to hook up with another man?

superspaceboy said:

Honestly? Probably....I mean.....HELL YES!!!! I would probably be dead.


m

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

So where is the moral line on this? Is there an age limit of consent that doesn't match up with our law of 16? Would it not be interesting to turn the tables a bit and approach the youngster in this? Again, I have a hard time imagining a 13 year old sitting behind a computer looking for dirty fat old men to have sex with.

Also, why would you be dead? It doesn't seem as though these "predators" want anything but consentual sex with a minor. Sure there are dangerous people out there, but I am not sure how many are out there on the net looking to lure and kill.
[Edited 6/29/07 12:41pm]

If the person says they are under age and the "predator" stills keeps talking dirty and sending pictures of their johnson, and then actually show up at a house?!?? Sorry, they are child molesters. Period.

Entrapment is fine with me because they're getting these sick bastards. Kids are not humans to fuck unless you're another kid. I've got zero compassion with pedafucks, broadcast that shit on televisions around the world so these people can be identified, especially by their own families. That's where the real abuse happens that never gets reported.

Consentual sex with minors? WTF are you talking about? Kids are not adults, shit some adults aren't even adults. Kids have a lot to learn and adults know this, that's what makes them predators.

Maybe if you've ever been exposed to how a child molester fucks up people for life you might understand this. I can't even believe what I'm reading here.
[Edited 6/29/07 14:01pm]

Slave2daGroove said:

I think you need to re-read what is being posted here. No one is saying what these people are doing is right. An adult should not be looking for sex with a minor...period.

Consentual sex with a minor is when a minor wants to have sex with someone (minor or adult). There are many teenagers that think about and go looking for sex. Meaning they are not being forced or not knowing what they are doing (well, that's a gray area there). You say it's ok for kids to have sex with each other but not with adults? I get your logic, though I see it as a bit flawed. Again...what is the age limit vs when someone is ready to have sex? 13, 14, 15...16? What about a 15yr old dating a 17yr old?

WHat is going on with this show is NOT about wierdos hanging around playgrounds offering kids candy and raping/molesting them. Nor is it Uncle Bill having his way with his 4 year old nephew or niece.

Also don't assume things about people you don't know. Just becasue I say the things I do, doesn't mean I have never been exposed to how a child molester fucks up people for life, because I have. I also believe that what I have witnessed on the show are not child molesters for the most part.

superspaceboy said:

You need to be locked up for even thinking it's "ok" that a 15-year-old child can "consent" to "sex with an adult." You need help. Seriously.

I say "Fuck 'em". Let them burn in hell. Sick fucks. If they take JUST ONE of these sick fucks off the streets then Dateline has done their job. If one of them wants to kill themself, let 'em. Fuck 'em. That's the path they chose and they will burn in hell for it.

And I don't care if their family has to go thru it, it's unfair, but I'd much rather have the family deal with the fact their pops was/is a pedophile than another family have to deal with the trauma of their child being molested and possibly killed by a pedophile.

In case you guys didn't get my point: Fuck them. Let them burn in hell. I could give a flying fuck if they kill themselves, in fact, they can do it on TV for all I care.

That show is out of line and out of control.

Afronomical said:

please. have you ever been a 15 year old girl? everyone's different.

and i sure hope everyone who's crying out for these guys to die ASAP in any way possible isn't Christian.

Afronomical said:

Say what you want. Many on here know I am a normal and sane individual. You completely took what I wrote wrong. Completely. We all have different views on life and society. I never said what these people was doing was right...take a look at my posts after the first one. Heck, even read my last line of the post you quoted. If you have seen the show, then you know my issue is with the show and it's definition of entertainment. More-so, the show isn't really doing anything good.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

ummm.... there was no child. no one ever spoke explicitly with a child, and there was no child to for them to meet.

Afronomical said:

that was simply beautiful! You say that it's wrong to be a pedophile in one statement, yet it's perfectly ok to televise someone killing themselves in the next.
[Edited 6/29/07 15:36pm]

Afronomical said:

evenstar3 said:

Yeah, because sex with a minor is ok. Got it. Please, stope using lame excuses for pedophiles. This isn't about the 15-year-old it's about a grown ass adult KNOWING right from wrong.

In fact, you're twisted to even be sitting here arguing in favor of pedophilia. Ridiculous and sick. And miss me with that "holier than thou" nonsense. Please.

superspaceboy said:

Turn the channel then. Simple as that. You have that option, right? A 15-year-old that's being victimize never had the option of saying "No." "Sane" you say? You sure about that? You may want a second opinion on that.
[Edited 6/29/07 17:54pm]

I love how some of you guys are blaming it on the children. Classic.

Proof that society is as fucked up as it's ever been.

And for those that feel it's "entrapment," no one told these sick fucks to wake up, log onto their computer, and then go into a chat room called "Teens for Fun" and solicit conversation with users that THEY think are underage. Who's fault is that? Dateline? The cops? - Nope! It's there own sick ass fault and that's where the blame should ONLY go. They have the ability to log off or exit the room. Period.

The fact that some of you are even trying to use "raging hormones" as a weak excuse is truly sad, reckless, and uneducated on the entire issue of pedophilia.

Better yet, remember Samantha Runnion? She was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murded. She was 5. FIVE! Anybody wanna invoke the "raging hormones" excuse here? Didn't think so. THAT'S what Dateline is doing - Getting potential child molesters and killers off the street. So before you guys go having soft hearts and "question the tactics" used to catch these sick fucks, here's the face of a child that was a victim and will never be able to look her killer in the face while his punk ass lives on.



I'm gonna invoke one of my heroes decree in this instance: "By any means necesssary". Fuck the rights of these sick assholes.

Afronomical said:

a 17 year old was jailed for consensual sex with a 15 year old. i'm not defending pedophiles, i'm just remembering BEING a 15 year old. is a relationship between a girl who's 15 and a boy who's 18 wrong? what if it's reversed? i didn't mean to come off as holier than thou (i'm not religious at all), i just find it interesting how so-called christians pick and choose what they apply their religious beliefs too.

there's something deeply wrong with an individual who wants to view a televised death.