'To Catch a Predator' III

When I confronted Walter Babst, the high school teacher, he said, “I need you to arrest me and take me to jail and execute me.”

He was chatting online about getting naked and having sex with a girl who said she was 12.

Chris Hansen: But why did you come here help me to understand

Walter Babst: Because I am a sick son of a bitch.

Well, he was arrested and did go to jail.  But guess what he did once he was bailed out.

He went back to the classroom. The school hadn’t yet heard about the teacher’s arrest, so two days after he came looking for sex with a minor, Walter Edward Babst was back teaching at his high school.

It was six days after the teacher’s arrest— once the cops and Babst’s lawyer contacted the school— that Babst was suspended without pay.

Some students were surprised at the news of his arrest.

Kenny, student: Everyone’s reaction was just kind of shocked.

Alexa, student: In a way I’m kind of relieved that he’s gone, I’m really happy that they actually caught him.

But others hinted that the teacher had a history.

Christina, student: He has looked at my butt or looked down our shirts.

We heard that from other students as well, although “Dateline” checked with the school and it had no complaints against the teacher.

Some had criminal histories
As shocking as it is for someone in a position of trust to be charged with attempting to molest a child, other men caught in our sting frightened us even more. That’s because they have criminal histories— some involving violence or threats against women. 

Daniel Allen took the friendly approach.

Hansen (hidden camera footage): What’s going on?

Allen: I’m just meeting a friend that I met on the Internet.

Hansen: Really?

48-year-old Allen, screename “trying-2b-normal,” promised to teach a girl who said she was 13 different sexual positions and show her what a man really likes.

But when I confront him, he says it was curiosity that brought him here—not sex.    

Allen: I don’t know how old, that’s why I’m here I’m just curious.

Hansen: You’re just curious?

Allen: Yeah, I mean I didn’t bring any booze with me, I didn’t. Absolutely curiosity that got me.

Curiousity, maybe, but his chat log suggests something else.

Hansen: “I will come to you and we will get a place for passionate love.”

Allen: Yeah. Well, what does that sound like to you?  That’s it, that’s all.

Hansen: She says, “Oh, my god.  How cool.” Hansen: You say, “Wow, 13, am I too old?”  “Nah.”  “Am I too young.”  “I hate to say this but you’re not.”

“Why do you hate to see that?” “’Cause it’s like I’m some  old pervert—but girls your age are so much more –”

Allen: But let me say this.

Hansen: Go ahead.

Allen: Okay.  I have conversations like this with people who turn out to be guys, most half—more than half the time, you know. 

Hansen: But if somebody tells you they’re a 13-year-old girl and you show up at the house and meet them, Don’t you see something  inappropriate about that?

Allen:  Well, I mean maybe so. But I had big doubts that she was 13.

Then, he admits this isn’t his first time.

Hansen: You’ve visited people who you met online who said they were 13 before.

Allen: Well, yeah.  13 or 15.

Hansen:   So it’s not the first time you’ve done it.

Allen: Well, no.  It’s—well wait a minute (laughs). I’ve never met a 13-year-old girl from offline.

Hansen: Did you ever go meet somebody who said they were 13 online?

Allen: No, not 13. Sixteen and in my area, and it was a guy who had a big laugh on me.                       

Hansen: You’ve see how it looks.

Allen: I see how it looks. You’re absolutely right. Then I tell him who I am.

Hansen: I am Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC and we’re doing a story on computer predators.

Allen: Ah.  Well, you better, I’ll shove that camera downs his throat.

Hansen: I don’t think you’re gonna want to do that.

Allen:    And why is that?

Hansen: I don’t think you’ll want to do it.  Now we can’t keep you here.  If you want to say anything else to us we’d love to hear it.  But we believe obviously you want to go.

Allen:   Okay.  But can I talk to you outside?

Hansen: I can’t have the cameras turned off at this point.

Allen:   Well, then I’d like to say that pretty much every—you had it all wrong.  But your point’s well taken. 

But this isn’t the first time he’s been caught by law enforcement. Several years ago, Daniel Allen was convicted of willfully, maliciously and repeatedly stalking a woman causing her to fear for her safety and the safety of her family. He was sentenced to a year in jail and five years probation.

And here’s another man with a criminal history: Joseph Federico, who thought he’d be meeting a 12-year-old girl home alone.  He has a violent past.

Sgt. Bianco: He did have a conviction for manslaughter and he did do prison time for that.

It appears he saw an earlier Dateline investigation.

Joseph Federico: I saw something on TV a few weeks ago. Just things that the person said made it sound like a set up.

Police officer: Okay— so why would you come out?

Federico: Just peaked my curiosity— God’s honest truth.

Our investigation in Southern California netted a record number of potential predators— 50 of the men were arrested and all but one were charged with felonies— including attempted child molestation.

While that number is alarming you haven’t heard the most shocking part— unbelievably some men who show up at our house thinking they might be having sex with a 12 or 13-year-olds are registered sex offenders. 

They’re supposed to be known to law enforcement. But despite their history they’re free to come and go, and one of them walked into into our house.

Our hidden cameras are rolling as 68 year old Robert Emmet Lyons stands in our kitchen. Online he calls himself “pavlov1234.”  He’s here to meet a 13-year-old boy. Lyons claims he’s only 28.

Hansen: Why don’t you have a seat right there please? And what’s your name sir?

Robert Lyons: Robert.

Hansen: Robert what?

Lyons: Lyons.

Hansen: Robert Lyons. What was your plan here today Robert.

Lyons: no plan

Hansen: I’ve got the transcripts of your conversation here.  It’s a pretty sexually charged conversation Robert, to have with a 13-year-old boy.

Hansen: He says “do we need rubbers do they hurt um I don’t know I don’t blank guys but if you want to you can do me.”  What conclusions do I draw?

Lyons: Just rhetoric.

Hansen: Rhetoric?

Lyons: Just conversation that probably was offhanded or.

Hansen: Offhanded. What it sounds like, Robert, is that you wanted to come here to have a sexual liaison with a 13-year-old boy.

Lyons: No, that was not my intention.

Hansen: What was your intention?

Lyons: Just to talk or whatever.

Hansen: The problem is, is that your history would contradict that given the fact that you are a registered sex offender. Isn’t that correct.

Lyons: Correct.

Hansen: In fact that’s your picture right there. (pointing to his sex offender registry photo)

In fact, Lyons was arrested only five months ago for a lewd sex act with a person 15 or younger.

Hansen: So you had intercourse with an under aged boy.

Lyons: Uh-uh. I didn’t even know he was 15. He told me he was 18.

Hansen: How long were you in prison for that offense?

Lyons: I wasn’t in prison.

Hansen: You weren’t in prison? You got probation?

Lyons: Correct.

Hansen: How long were you on probation?

Lyons: I’m still on probation.

Hansen: You’re still on probation now? So you’re on probation for having sex with a boy how old?

Lyons: 15.

Hansen: And now you’re here to have sex with a 13-year-old boy.

The terms of his probation require he see a counselor and he says he did that just two weeks ago.

Hansen: And what did you talk about with your counselor?

Lyons: Various things.

Hansen: Do you talk about your sexually charged conversations on the internet with a 13-year-old boy?

Lyons: No, no I did not.

Hansen: Do you see why it looks like you didn’t learn your lesson?

Lyons: It appears that way yes.

Now, it was time to tell him he was going to be exposed on national television.

Hansen:  Well, Robert I’ve got to tell you something. I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline Nbc and we’re doing a story on computer predators.

Lyons: Is this going to be on Dateline?

Once Lyons leaves he’s arrested. And as soon as police are involved, he decides he’s said enough. 

Lyons: At this point I want to talk to an attorney.

This next man also has a criminal record—an extensive one.

Sgt. Chad Bianco: He was on active parole. He was a registered sex offender and he knocked on someone’s door, thankfully it was ours.

Sgt Chad Bianco from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department dug up the criminal past of another arrival— he’s 48-year-old Jean Pierre Michael Wehry.

Sgt. Bianco: He has a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon that went back to I believe 1981. He was convicted and sentenced to three years for rape. in 2000 he was also sent to prison for failure to register as a sex offender.

Despite being a convicted rapist, here he is tonight at our undercover house after making plans for sex with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old boy.

Online, he told the decoy that he was a promotional photographer, promoting such films as “Kindergarten Cop” and some gay porn films. Then he tells the decoy he can help launch the boy’s modeling career. 

But there’s a catch: He writes, “How can I promote someone I never had lots of hot sex with?” The decoy agrees to sex in exchange for the career help.

So eager was this registered sex offender, that he boarded a bus and then walked more than two miles to get to the sting house.

And he wastes no time trying to get to our decoy.

Hansen (hidden camera footage): Hey sir, can you come back over here please. And have a seat, you seem to be in a hurry there. Please sit down. why were you in such a hurry to get in the other side of that fence?

Michael Wehry: Nothing I thought I was looking for someone that’s all.

This registered sex offender says he’s here looking for work. But what type of work could he expect to find at 11 p.m. on a Friday night?

Hansen: So you were just walking down the road and you thought that this fellow with the construction company lived in this house.

Wehry: Well, somebody told me that he lived…

Hansen: Who is the somebody?

Wehry: A young man on the phone.

But what about all that sex chat with someone who told him he was 13?

Hansen: “By the way, why wouldn’t I want to see you and taste your beautiful body? make love to you. You are a gorgeous thirteen year old boy.”

Wehry: That’s not my style. I’ve never had affiliations with a 13-year-old.

Hansen: Are you a photographer?

Wehry: I think a long time ago?

Hansen: Did you ever do any promotions for “Kindergarden Cop?”

Wehry: I saw the movie.

He insists that someone must have used his screenname and set him up.

Wehry: If somebody has used an email account I used a long time ago. I’m sorry about that.

Hansen: So you received a call from someone who you didn’t know, who said go to a house you’ve never been, to see a man you never met, to come to a job interview at this home at 11:20 at night?

Wehry: I was going to leave a note.

But that’s not what it says in his chat log.

Hansen: (quoting chat log) “i’ll be there as close to 11 as possible. I’ll need your number so I can call you when I’m near the bus stop. I will look for you. And we will discretely go to your room and talk. And we’ll talk about whatever pops up and stimulates you.”

Wehry: You are reading me something the somebody wrote. I’m sorry to hear that.

He seems even more sorry to hear that he’s apart of a “Dateline” investigation.

Hansen: You’re obviously free to leave.

Wehry: I’m not doing anything.

But the police disagree. And this guy knows his rights.

Wehry: I may have to speak to you but I don’t have to speak to the media.  And I don’t have to speak to you without a lawyer.  Do you want to chase the media’s microphone away?

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