Can we count on your support today? NEW EVIDENCE! As they traveled, the roommate said that a few weeks earlier he and Todd had watched an episode of Dateline: To Catch a Predator. Investigators said all five of the alleged predators cooperated with authorities and admitted to their intentions when they met these decoys.. You shouldnt be going after kids online, and no matter how many we do, they will be out there. "As crazy as it sounds, our relationship felt stronger than ever," says Dianna. 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. It was a hit. It's a whole 'nother playing field now. "I kept expecting people to run up to us on the streetto yell at Todd. As each mile passed, Dianna's anger mounted. 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. He had a hard time finding a temple in which to worship because of the stigma. Even Dianna's ex-husband had changed his mind about Todd. That insight helped Dianna believe Todd's story about thinking he'd been chatting with an older girl, and as his court date drew nearer, Todd's mental state improved. Do you wrestle with the idea that these people are sick and need treatment? In the hallway she heard teachers whisper about the episode, saying, "One of guys even had a fiance! "I believe in him." He knew hed face 10 years in prison for each image. Have I done my daughters irreparable harm? No matter what, you can always turn to The Marshall Project as a source of trustworthy journalism about the criminal justice system. We rarely will engage with a teenager who is hitting on a 13 or 14 year-old. 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. I think it's going to be a more sophisticated program. And what do you make of criticism that what you do isnt really journalism? This led to a whole series of Dateline "To Catch A Predator" specials and a spin-off, "To Catch A Predator: The Raw Tapes", which shows . On the day before Valentine's Day 2007, Todd went to prison. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. At Jessica's school, people talked about the showbut none seemed to realize Todd's relationship to her mother. 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. A few years earlier she'd gotten hooked on crystal meth. The roommate had commented, "I can't believe the freaking idiots who do this kind of thing." Biography An actress that would go on to have many television roles, Cope first started as a decoy on TCaP. The elaborate sting was a joint operation between CCSO and the nonprofit organization Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA). 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. May 5, 1987 To Catch a Predator: With Chris Hansen, Stone Phillips, Del Harvey, Dennis Kerr. The suspects are accused of sending nude photos to the decoys and describing sex acts the arrestees desired to perform with the purported girls. Over the next few days, the image of Todd sitting in jail played in her head. Together they'd have to face the repercussions of the broadcast of the Dateline episodeand Todd's trial, which would take place sometime early the next year. Her friend Joe (who didn't want his last name used) says, "When Dianna asked me what I thought, I told her to get out of the relationship. The minors are adults impersonating underage persons (generally ages 13-15) in online chats. she exclaimed. Suddenly Rachel broke the silence. Several of the suspects are also accused of sending videos of themselves masturbating. He handed Todd two consecutive 10-year sentences. Included was a link to Perverted Justice's website, which had posted Todd's chat with the Dateline decoy. ", 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. Todd can't live with you." 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. Now, the decoy girls have. Biographical information Is he a police officer? If he was released as a convicted sex offender, he would have to adhere to a strict set of rules. Weve been absolutely transparent about our methodology who the decoys are, where the police are, etc. The Dangerous Web is a place filled with predators of many kinds. Their route took them along Interstate 85, the same highway Todd had driven on the way to his planned hookup. Then, she says, he hung his head in shame. "Can't we appeal?" It included using a decoy house the suspects allegedly believed was the home of girls ages 14 and 15. He's here to meet a girl who online told him she was a 14-year-old virgin. He posed a significant danger. | He worked for a cable company, so he was in people's houses every day. 2023 Cond Nast. They played the roles and communicated with the alleged predators. Emailus. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Getting this newsit was like somebody died.". While reruns of To Catch a Predator still air regularly, no new episodes have been shot since 2007. To Catch a Predator Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Now she wasn't sure what to do. It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 12 - 15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over the Internet for sexual liaisons. ", But in other ways, life remained eerily uneventful. I still think he's nice. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. Hansen thinks that making a show out of following up with the predators he has encountered in the past is "an excellent idea. 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. Absolutely. Of course, you dont want anybody to hurt themselves. The Dark Truth Behind The U.S. Alliance For Election Excellence! The communications included video chats, text messages, phone calls, and direct messages on social media platforms. Then that changed too. A few times, she had to greet the predators on the beach with Chris emerging from behind the boardwalk after the predators made it to her. Have you come to have views on this? 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. The segment premiered in September on Crime Watch Daily, a show Hansen hosts that runs on weekdays, syndicated on local channels throughout the country. We dont go above 14 for the victims age, just so it is a clear case. The male and female decoys that appeared in the various stings. 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. Until a few days earlier, she'd trusted Todd more than anyone else in the world. And sometimes they freak out. When she first told him why Todd was in prison, he exploded, saying, "I don't want that piece of st around my kids!" Release Dates Todd made her feel nurtured, something she'd rarely experienced with a man. 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. Dianna softened. Its a very loyal fanbase. "He did a bad thing. They played the roles and communicated with the alleged predators. She is the best women decoy and decoy in general in that show. He was obviously depressed. Father Johnson and his wife testified on Todd's behalf, but the judge wasn't swayed. Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. Five men in Oklahoma have been arrested after law enforcement authorities conducted a four-day sting to catch child sex predators. Her fianc, she learned, had been caught in a sting orchestrated by the popular Dateline: To Catch a Predator series. "He came all this way!" Do you black out his face? Five men in Oklahoma have been arrested after law enforcement authorities conducted a four-day sting to catch child sex predators. the woman said. We learned about the online watchdog group, Perverted Justice, and I figured if we could combine their talent posting as decoys with our hidden camera technology, it could be pretty compelling. Samantha Cope I've had to ask forgiveness from peopleand they've given it," she says. Predator, conducted a sting operation in conjunction with local police in Fairfield, Connecticut. 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. In April 2015, Chris Hansen announced the start of a Kickstarter campaign to fund a reboot of the series. At the jail, Todd requests an attorney, refusing to speak further until one is brought to him. Others might argue otherwise, but I think its justifiable. ", But Dianna is still not convinced that Todd is a sex predator. "Do you have any special ideas for tonight or anything?" Two, its compelling television. In 2004, NBC reporter Chris Hansen began leading stings in which children played by adult actors invited men to meet them for sexual encounters. And how will I put our lives back together? Chris Hansen - Host: You ask her if she does anal. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. He looked cowed and broken. Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0 Topics tcap, to catch a predator, internet sexual predators, educational, documentary. So were Aeon Flux, Borat and The Swiss Family Robinson. Her thoughts turned to Dateline; their lives would change dramatically when the episode aired in a few months. She'd had time to ask only if he was OK and had no details of what he'd done. 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. . When the FBI conducts sting operations targeting online predators, it refers to the men who get caught as "travelers.". To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series in the television news magazine program Dateline NBC featuring confrontations with host Chris Hansen, partly filmed with a hidden camera, of adult men arriving at a sting house to have sex with a minor and typically being arrested as a result. "You love him, and we love him.". Consenting adults can do whatever they want. "), Dianna felt she knew something about mistakes and redemption. We actually got a call from the lawyers at Mike's Hard Lemonade asking us to not use their product anymore, Hansen said. The site also posted a profile about Todd's crime, with links to his e-mail address, IM names and phone number. It was on a beach and I believe was from the New Jersey sting. 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). "Please don't leave Todd," she pleaded. Perverted-Justice has only ever encountered one female predator, according to Del Harvey, who has been a Perverted-Justice contributor since 2004 and who has acted as a decoy in the group's . When they drove to the movies one evening, he pulled over to cry. An actress that would go on to have many television roles, Cope first started as a decoy on TCaP. That night when she told her girls, they were ecstatic. "I could feel them feeling sorry for me," she says. "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.". It's not that I think he was trying to actually have sex with a 14-year-old girl. This is me keeping that promise.". 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