Going the distance

We’ve hired a young-looking 19-year-old named Amanda to play the part of an underage girl home alone. 

She gets into position: standing by the front door as a potential predator shows up at our undercover house.

37-year-old Todd West has no problem following our decoy right into the house.  He’s here to meet a girl who online told him she was a 14-year-old virgin. 

Using a screen name we can’t show on TV, he chats on and off with the decoy named mystyk_roses for a week.  Then he decides to turn on his Webcam and send the girl a live picture of his penis. After they set up a plan for him to come over, the decoy asks if he’ll bring condoms and Jack Daniels.  So did he?

Todd West:  Nice digs.

Decoy: Did you bring the Jack Daniels?

West: Yup.

Decoy: You did?

West: Um-hmm.

Decoy: Yeah.

Decoy: Did you pick up the condoms?

West: um hum   

He seems at ease with her even though he’s in a strange house talking to someone he’s never met in person before.

Decoy: Do you have any special ideas for tonight or anything?

Todd: Not especially

Decoy: What are some of your ideas?

West: Ah - (laughs) I don’t know, you tell me

More about him a little later.

This next man heading into the house, just made a stop at a gas station down the road.  As you can see from this security camera video, he bought condoms before coming over to meet a girl he thinks is a 13-year-old virgin.

Decoy: Come on in. I’m just finishing getting ready.

William Rowell: You didn’t have to get take a shower.

Decoy: Well, come on in.

He’s 37-year-old William Rowell, a service tech for coin-operated machines, also known as “bearinwolfsfur” is talking to a decoy named “sassy_ltl_lady.”  He tells the girl, “You know that I really want to make love to you but I want to hold you close to me.”  The decoy says “I want that too.” Later using a different screen name, “wolfknight30,”  he tells the decoy he’s worried “because of the Dateline shows of late. The decoy responding like a 13-year-old says, ‘What’s Dateline.”

She pretends not to know about the show to see if a man, apparently aware of our investigations, would still take the risk and show up.

He explains to her “It’s a show on NBC. They have been doing a lot of shows about Internet predators.”

But that isn’t enough to scare him away.

Decoy (hidden camera footage): Come on in. Give me about 5 mins. to get ready, there’s sweet tea if you want it, you don’t have to drink it if you don’t want it (laughs)

Rowell: I can’t see, I can’t go to your room with you?

Decoy: Well that would ruin the surprise

Chris Hansen (walks in): Actually I rather for you, oh sir, sir

Rowell: Nope.

I don’t get the chance to speak with Rowell or West (the first man in the door). But the team from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office will. 

After he’s read his rights, 37-year-old West chooses to remain silent.

West (to police): Oh, can I have a lawyer present?

Police: Yeah, sure—

West: Thank you.  And I’m assuming this is being recorded?

Police: Yeah. 

But “bearinwolfsfur” talks at length with Chief Rhett Wade and investigator Tony Knotts.

Chief Wade: Who you here to meet tonight?

Rowell: Brooke, her name was Brooke.

Chief Wade: Alright how old is Brooke?

Rowell: Brooke said she was 13.  Was my intentions to have sex with her, no.

Chief Wade: Did you stop down here at the Chevron gas station and purchase condoms?

Rowell: Right, but my intentions were—because she asked me to bring condoms. I had the condoms, just in case.  But my intentions were not to have sex.

Investigator Tony Knotts: You only buy condoms for one thing.

Rowell: To have sex, I know.  So that’s why I’m being charged with being a pedophile.

He’s not being charged as a pedophile— that would be sex with a much younger child.  Instead he’ll face criminal attempt to commit child molestation. 

Rowell: My intentions were not to have sex but if the opportunity was there then yeah, but—my intentions were not to go that route.  So that’s the reason I feel like I’m being—tricked

After the interview, Rowell is taken to the Harris County Jail.  He’s still in custody today— that’s more than eight weeks. He’s unable to make bail. 

Meanwhile, back at the house, our decoy is in place ready to invite our next guest inside.

Using the screen name “gerald_white30627 a 31-year-old starts chatting with a girl posing as a 15-year-old.  He asks the decoy if she wears boots.  The girl responds “I wish I had some tall ones.” Then gerald_white30627 says “Perhaps we could go boot shopping.”

The decoy types “wow u mean for like the big ones?” Then he cuts to the chase and says, “I’m not going to avoid the subject; I would like to make love to you after we are done boot shopping.”... “I have a serious fetish for boots.” 

Gerald White later tells the decoy he’s going to bring her a pair of boots but as he comes in the house he’s not carrying any.

Decoy: Come on in I made you some sweet tea

Gerald Robert White: goooodddd; I was (mumbles)

Decoy: I just gotta get these clothes out so they don’t wrinkle

White: ugh ... (he growns)

Decoy: did you bring the riding boots?

White: yes - they out in the car

Decoy: okay I’ll be right there

Hansen (walks in): Have a little shopping day planned this afternoon?

White: Ahhhhhhh, yup

Hansen: And who you taking shopping today?

White: ahhhhhhhhhhh, (pause) Natasha

Hansen: Natasha?

White: Yeah

Hansen: And how did you meet Natasha?

White: Met her online.

Hansen: Online?

White: Yes

Hansen: And how old do you think Natasha is?

White: Have no idea.

Hansen: Have no idea?

White: No sir, we haven’t discussed it

To refresh his memory, I read to him from his chat log.

Hansen (reading chat transcript): ‘I’m 15’

White: I’m, you don’t have to go any further I understand

Hansen: You talk about taking her out and buying some boots

White: Yeah

Hansen: What’s up with that?

White: It’s just shopping

Hansen: So you just found a 15-year-old girl online and you decided you’re gonna buy her leather boots - that you want her to wear 24 hrs. a day, you say right here. What was your plan here today?

White: No plan whatsoever.

Hansen: No plan whatsoever?

White: Just come to talk and everything, obviously I need to go.

As the 31-year-old heads for the door, law enforcement moves into place—ready to take the man down as soon as he walks outside.

Police arrest him and lead him away—clearing the front of the house so more suspects are free to come in.

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