To Catch A Predator Update: Fort Myers, Part One

 

    

     An example of how strange Fort Myers' predators were was Donald Morrison, a middle-aged man in glasses and a stained shirt who lived with his mom. Despite having been arrested for taking nude pictures of a 17-year-old girl in Texas, he received only 9 months in jail and 3 years probation to accompany his lifetime RSO status. In 2012, he was arrested for viewing pictures of children on a library computer, but his sentence for that violation is unknown. He ran a YouTube channel in which he referred to channel members as slaves and defended his actions, and, while limited by dialysis treatments, he has given interviews.

     Brian Emmons was the soulless-eyed church leader who was convicted of both child solicitation and child pornography (in 2006 and 2009 respectively) and sentenced to 1 year and 9 months in prison. Not much is known about one of the scarier predators caught in Fort Myers.

     Thomas Coffen was also convicted on child porn charges and sentenced to 2 years and 5 months in prison. He has continued to fall apart over the years, being arrested for driving with a suspended license in 2016 and possession of marijuana in 2017. 

     Eric Thornton joins the growing list of serial offenders caught in Fort Myers. He admitted to meets with 10 to 15 underage girls online and was convicted and sentenced to 1 year and 9 months in prison. His probation expired in 2011, but he must register as a sex offender for life. He once lived in a trailer park inhabited entirely by sex offenders, but has since moved out.

     Lee Greer, the man from Arkansas who brought the fast food, was sentenced to 1 year and 9 months in prison and Tier III sex offender registration in his home state, a harsh designation until one realizes that he had sexual chats with at least 6 minors online.

     David Schumacher was, in the words of Chris Hansen, "trouble with a capital T," and he deserved to be registered as a sex offender (he was not). He had priors for GTA and flight and was charged with groping 2 teenagers and assisting in an armed robbery while on bond, having come from a family of felons. His charges were sent to another district after it was revealed his sister was picking the girl up to take her to a birthday party, and he was sentenced to 4 years and 7 months in prison. He was later arrested for marijuana possession in 2017 and sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison before his release in 2020.

     Some men were not heinous for the number of convictions but the circumstances surrounding it. In 2007, Clifford Wallach was sentenced to 5 years in prison for child abuse and child solicitation after he brought his son with him to the bust house. He was released in 2012. His son was given to relatives as his wife refused to kick him out, at least giving the boy some chance at life.

     Kenneth Forton was dubbed the scariest predator in the investigation after he showed up with weed, duct tape, and rope to engage in smoking and BDSM sex acts with a minor. Despite this, he was given only 9 months in jail and released in 2007, his probation ending in 2010. He must register as a sexual offender for life.

     Jack Rojas was the most brazen man caught in Fort Myers. He hired an expensive lawyer and got off with 3 years probation and lifetime RSO status after meeting a minor for sex at McDonald's. When he got home, he immediately reentered the chat room. He spent 6 weeks in jail, but, unbelievably, had his probation reinstated. 

     Another man who could be characterized as brazen was Marvin Lakhan. He was caught naked in the sting house with Cool Whip trying to have sex with a cat. Like Rojas, he got off relatively easy, except as a result of a young offender program, and received 7 years probation and lifetime RSO status. He was deported to Trinidad, and he will never fulfill his dream of becoming a pediatrician.

     Meeting a similar fate was Raul Brenes. He was convicted and sentenced to 3 years in prison, which he served. In 2011, he was deported to Nicaragua. His efforts to fight the charges all the way to trial failed miserably and he received one of the harshest sentences in the sting.

     Thomas Campbell is in a place much further away: Hell. He was convicted and sentenced to 9 months in jail followed by 3 years probation and lifetime RSO status. He died in 2016, exactly 10 years after his appearance on the show.

     Dallas Lee, another "mentor." I find it heart-warming that so many men are willing to meet strange kids online to guide them. Lee had a wife and kids, but got a felony conviction, 9 months in jail, 3 years probation, and lifetime RSO status. 

     Ryan McIntosh also claimed he merely wanted to mentor a boy. Unlike Campbell, he refused to enter a plea and in the process spent over 1 year and 1 month in prison before pleading guilty and receiving time served, probation until 2010, and lifetime sex offender registration. He has since gotten married and gotten a hair transplant.

     Ellahzar Rashad Henson also probably wishes he had pled guilty. He spent 2 years and 2 months in prison representing himself, running through lawyers, and filing countless motions. He received time served and remained on probation until 2010 and will be an RSO for life. He lives in Pasadena, Maryland.