Men Arrested Across The Country After Being Exposed By Online Predator Hunters

     I often hear law enforcement and established sex crime prevention advocates say that "vigilante" groups dedicated to exposing child sex predators do more harm than good, that they make it harder for law enforcement to prosecute these crimes. In some cases, that is obviously true: poorly-trained people more concerned with clicks and making fools of themselves can generate no good. However, I also believe that, if it is done correctly, there is a lot of room for these groups and individuals; the fact that they are able to expose thousands of men and women across the country shows that there is a huge void in law enforcement's capability to train, equip, and deploy officers capable of putting in the hours to stop these crimes. I think of not just Perverted Justice, which boasted nearly 625 convictions between 2005 and 2015, but POP Squad, Anxiety War, CC Unit, and dozens of other efforts that have resulted in hundreds of arrests and convictions since then.

     This past month, these groups have produced some impressive results. Just before Halloween, a Pennsylvania pastor was arrested on numerous felony sex charges after trying to meet a 15-year-old boy and his 16-year-old friend on Tinder. The pastor, Gregory Loughney, called police at the scene to turn himself in after being confronted by "570 Predator Catchers." This comes as police press charges against nine people, including former Valley View School District Literacy Director Christopher Mazzino, who were caught by Musa Harris, who has exposed 240 people in the county in just 18 months in this same county.

     On November 8th, charges were filed against 42-year-old Flemming Ryland of Cassopolis, Indiana, after he was exposed by a group called "Predator Catchers Indianapolis" trying to have sex with a 14-year-old girl named Amy. He was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor that could put him in prison for well over 20 years if he is convicted. Earlier this year, a Brandywine teacher named Patrick Stier was booked on a felony charge and now faces four years in prison after being busted by another area group called "Bikers Against Predators."

     On November 14th, two felony charges carrying a combined penalty of one to six years in prison were filed against 24-year-old Evan R. Colie of Crystal Lake, Illinois, after he tried to solicit sex and sexual images from a child who was actually a decoy account run by a group called "Worldwide Predator Hunters." He was released on bail and is scheduled to make his next appearance at the McHenry County Courthouse on December 20th.

     On November 19th, police arrested 37-year-old Benito Ramirez Vasquez after members of the community of Brea, California, near Anaheim, banded together to expose him for trying to meet a decoy portraying a 14-year-old boy online. Few other details have been released at this time.

     Meanwhile, convictions are rolling in. On November 12th, Twin Falls, Idaho, resident Desmund Shea Borzymowski, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of attempting to entice or coerce a minor into sex after being busted by a group called "Idaho Against Child Predators" soliciting a decoy portraying a 13-year-old girl on Whisper. Not only was Borzymowski in the legal process for trying to have sex with a 14-year-old girl he met online in 2020, but he had a prior CONVICTION for sexual abuse of a young girl. With this guilty plea, he faces 10 years to life. Life is the only thing that will stop this man from reoffending.

     Seeing articles in which police say vigilante predator stings do more harm than good next to articles in which these stings result in dozens of successful prosecutions is a double standard, and it raises a serious question: are most of the officers who ardently oppose citizens doing this sort of operation more concerned about the risks it creates or the fact that is shows that citizens can fill a law enforcement vacuum that undeniably exists?