To Catch A Predator Update: Grand Rapids, Part One

     

"To Catch A Predator" in Grand Rapids was a smashing success. Jason Jay Ebels had license restrictions and suffered from leukemia, but that didn't stop him from coming to rape a child. He was sentenced to 18 months to 20 years in prison. He remains incarcerated and could spend the rest of his life in prison, as the solicitation charge he was also convicted of separately carried a sentence of 15 years minimum.

     Fredrick Eugene Davis, 66, was one of the oldest men exposed by Perverted Justice. He also had a vile chat and earned himself 1-20 years in prison. He was not placed on the sex offender registry, which likely means he died in prison.

     Jarrad Box was a cosmetologist sentenced to 18 months to 20 years in prison. Because his sex offender registration is set to expire in 2037 (he will be 53), and Michigan has a 25-year registration period for tier II offenders, he likely served 3 years before being released.

     Todd Joseph Ray pretended to be a good father, but couldn't see his kids for quite a while after he took a plea deal at the last minute and received 18 months to 20 years in prison. Unbelievably, he did not have to register as a sex offender, so I have no way of knowing how much he served. At least he earned a felony conviction and a decent stint behind bars.

     Nathan Allen Swanson only spoke in 1-4 word blurbs but made his intentions very clear when he contacted a decoy in Wayne County before showing up at Grand Rapids and earning himself 18 months in prison, which he served before being released in 2011, and 25 years of sex offender registration, which expires in 2036.

     Jason Paul Lawson received 18 months to 20 years in prison and was released in 2011 after serving around 2.5 years in the slammer. He must register as a sex offender until at least 2036, provided he goes 25 years without messing up.

     Michael Shaler was convicted of using the computer to commit a crime and sentenced to 2 years in prison. He was released in 2009 after serving just a year of that sentence, but he will be required to remain an RSO until 2034. He has grown a long beard and reminds me of the Joker, a crazy person who wanted to be a comedian. He has a chance of realizing that dream when he is 60 and gets removed from the registry, as long as he doesn't reoffend. 

     Ronnie Paulsen became famous for the vile chats he had with multiple Perverted Justice decoys and showed just how vigilant Michigan is when it comes to child predators. He was convicted of 7 felony counts and sentenced to lifetime RSO staus, after he was done serving the 10 years in prison he got. I don't know how many years he spent in before being released, but he likely served most of it because of the nature of his charges and sentence.

     Eric Carl Wesche was a relatively young man with a ridiculous lawyer and a job coaching junior varsity soccer. However, he was convicted of a felony and sentenced to 1-20 years in prison. Although he was released after just a year, he must register as a sex offender until his late 40s, and any possibility of a career in coaching or sports has ended. Not the best way to start his life. 

     Bradley David Jahnke received 1-20 years in prison for his crimes in Kent County and was released after serving 3, in November 2012. Before he had a chance to register as a sex offender, he was arrested for stealing from his adoptive father and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He can be released in 2023, after which he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

     Javier Macias was sentenced to a year in jail with probation until 2015 and lifetime RSO status. Not enough for a federal sex criminal but definitely nothing to scoff at. He lives in his hometown of Zion, Illinois, and is on the registry there.

     Derek Shane Slate didn't show up to the bust house because he couldn't change his child visitation schedule, but he didn't ever have to worry about seeing his kid again when he received 8 months in jail, probation until 2015, and several thousand dollars in fines alongside registration as a sex offender until at least 2035. He lives in Rochester, Michigan.