Four Potential Child Molesters Busted By Colorado Dad In New Jersey

 

     The Atlantic Coast of New Jersey is an idyllic stretch of land that goes from sleepy serenity to bustling tourist hub for the well-to-do every spring. Still, this place, seemingly shielded from the world, has served as a major location in child sex stings since the beginning of the concept. In March 2007, 28 men were arrested and convicted of felony crimes against children in the Ocean County, New Jersey episode of "To Catch A Predator," receiving lifetime probation and sex offender registration with varying amounts of jail time.

     The New Jersey Attorney General's Office, since 2019, has arrested nearly 100 men on charges of soliciting children online for sex. Dozens of predator hunting groups operate in this region, and literally hundreds of men have been busted for trying to access the most vulnerable population for the most malicious purpose with little way for parents to be any the wiser. 

     Enter Tommy Fellows. This man is the founder of Colorado Ped Patrol, a Colorado-based group that has caught over 75 men for soliciting sex from children in just four months. For him, it's personal: his son was sexually abused, and it took a father's dogged determination to put the man responsible in prison. He decided that no child should have to endure such trauma, so he partnered up for a sting in another state. LC Predator Catcher Musa Harris operates in another "Predator Hot Spot:" Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where detectives have used COVID as an opportunity to arrest two dozen child sex predators and where Harris has busted nearly 150 men in just a year.

     In Atlantic City, some men decided to gamble with their freedom and meet young teen girls and boys for sex. As a result, four men were charged:

1. 62-year-old Robert Heinz, a Pleasantville man residing in California Apartments, was charged with child luring for using Grindr to meet a 14-year-old boy. He has allegedly received numerous death threats since his release on bond. If convicted, he faces 5-10 years in prison.

2. 58-year-old Mark Bloodgood of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, was arrested for child luring after attempting to meet a young teen at a motel. He could face federal human trafficking charges and 25-30 years in prison because he crossed state lines.

3. 58-year-old Robert Catalano, the head of Recovery Force Atlantic County, was charged with child luring after being confronted at his home at the 2400 block of Formica Way. He faces 5-10 years in prison, but has since been hospitalized for unknown reasons.

4. 55-year-old Michael Sharp of Sewell, New Jersey, was arrested for soliciting at least three young boys online and sending pictures of his penis before meeting one at a motel for sex. He faces numerous charges and could spend the rest of his life in prison.

     This is far from the end of the story. A fifth man they caught is under investigation, and detectives in Colorado are now reviewing over a dozen of Fellows' cases. Thanks to proactive efforts by concerned citizens, dozens of men from three states are having every day of their lives scrutinized: it is estimated that the average sex offender has 25 victims, so these stings could literally spare hundreds of children from abuse or secure justice for children already victimized.