Caught on camera, but not surprised

The men walking through our door range in age from from 21 to 61 and come from very different backgrounds.  But most of them say almost the same thing when I confront them: it’s their first time.

And there’s something else I hear over and over: these men always bring or keep condoms with them.

Most are willing to talk when they don’t know they’re being recorded on hidden camera. But many, like a mental health counselor for teenagers, scurry when the cameras come out.

Remember the married man who said his wife would kill him if she knew what he was up to?

Chris Hansen: I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC. 

Elias Bailon: Holy sh*t (puts hand over mouth)

Hansen:  Now, if there’s anything else you’d like to tell us, we’d like to hear it.

Bailon: I just made a mistake.  And, I won’t do it again for sure.

And then there were the men who had already seen some of our Dateline computer predator investigations....

Hansen: I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC.

Ryan McIntosh: I know.

Hansen:-- you know?

McIntosh: Uh-huh (affirms).

Hansen: Have you seen a previous stories?

McIntosh: I have.

Hansen: You have.  And, what your impression of the earlier stories?

McIntosh:  Nothing, they were very good coverage. I’ve seen one, previous, maybe a month ago.

Hansen: And, that didn’t make you think twice about coming over here to meet a 14-year-old?

McIntosh: No. I wasn’t coming over to have sex with him tonight— or do anything with him. I was just coming to talk to him.

And because he’s seen a previous broadcast, he remembers what happens next.

McIntosh: I’m gonna walk out and there are gonna cops are gonna be out there?

Hansen:  That’s not up to me.

McIntosh: You know, yes.  Okay.  Thank you.

And just as he suspected—the police are waiting to arrest him.

Another man, Dallas Lee, saw one of our broadcasts and still showed up. He came to meet a boy posing as a 14-year-old.

Hansen: Do you ever watch Dateline NBC?

Dallas Lee:  Sometimes.  Yes.  I’ve seen that.

Hansen: You’ve seen the Computer Predator stories?

Lee: Uh-huh (Affirms).  Yeah.

Hansen: Well, this is one of them.

Lee: Lovely.

And there’s more bad news for him when he gets outside, an officer wearing a type of camouflage to hide in the bushes, jumps out and arrests him.

As soon as the men leave our house police work quickly and sometimes aggressively taking the suspects down to the ground.  That’s because in Florida, it’s relatively easy to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon, so these officers aren’t taking any chances.

Hansen: Did anybody get hurt in the take downs?

Chief Williams: No, no-- 24 people and no one was injured.  All the officers are safe. 

As a man is being arrested, an unmarked police vehicle moves into position. The suspect is put into a car and taken to a transfer station.

What police found in the vehicles
A married man, Lee Greer, hoped his wife would never know that he showed up for a date with a girl who told him she was 13.

Hansen: How is this going to go over at home?

Lee Greer: I’d really, really, really like for it not to go home.

Police officer: Where you from man?

Greer: I’m from Arkansas.

Police officer: Arkansas. You on vacation or something?

Greer: No, I’m down here working.

His picture is taken...

Police officer: Thank you.

...And when the police search his rental car they start collecting evidence.

Kenneth Forton, online, asked a girl claiming to be 15 if he could tie her up? Look what the police find in his car.

Police: There’s rope?  There’s rope.

Another police officer: “there’s duct tape and extension cords..”

He did admit to me that he had rope in his car.  But he denied bringing anything else.

Hansen: Did you bring condoms with you?

Kenneth Forton:  No.

Hansen: No.  Not in your car?

Forton: No.

Hansen: Did you bring marijuana?

Forton: No.

Hansen: Are you sure?

Forton: Uh-huh (Affirms).

Turns out he wasn’t telling the truth. The police find the marijuana and a box of condoms.

All of the 24 men who were arrested outside our house were charged with felonies— attempted lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor and attempting to solicit a child over the Internet.

They all went before a judge and bail was set.

Eleven of the men are still in custody. Many say they are innocent but they will have to wait to be arraigned before they can plead not guilty.

The next man you're about to meet is stunning. Online, he’s very clear about what he wants to do with the underage girl, and what he does when he shows up will be hard for you to believe.

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