Potential predators in Petaluma

Decoys from Perverted-Justice normally set up profiles of young teens in chat rooms like Yahoo and AOL—then they wait to be contacted by adults. But here in Petaluma California, a decoy posted a personal ad on Craig’s list in the “men seeking men” section that said “Boy looking for friends.” One man answered his ad.

He’s 43-year-old Steve Cartlidge, screenname toofastforya’ll2003.

Steve starts emailing the decoy and says “Maybe I could give you your first ---" and uses a graphic term for oral sex.

He also sends “Kevin” a link to gay pornographic websites. Then he makes a date for sex with the decoy and comes on over.

Chrise Hansen (walks out): No hot tub for you?  No?  How you doing?

Steve Cartlidge: Okay.

Hansen: What’d you here for?

Cartlidge: Just to talk.

Hansen: And who were you going to talk to?

Cartlidge: See, I knew something was up.  I saw all the cameras here.

Hansen: And why did you come over if you had a feeling something was up?

Cartlidge: I don’t know.

Hansen: You talk about oral sex.  You ask him a list of very personal questions about what he’s done and where he is in his physical development.

Cartlidge: Uh-huh (affirms).

Hansen: Is that appropriate for a man your age to be asking those questions of a 13-year-old boy?

Cartlidge: No, all right.  Let’s just do what we’re gonna do.

Hansen: What do you mean?

Cartlidge: Aren’t you going to arrest me? 

Hansen:     I’m not gonna arrest you.

Cartlidge: Then who are you?

Hansen:  I’ll get to that in a minute.  I have a few more questions for you. You get into graphic detail about what you wanna do with this boy sexually.

Cartlidge: Cuz that’s what he wanted and told me.

Hansen:  So, it’s his fault? 

Cartlidge: Not really.  No. I’m taking full blame for whatever happened.

And although he seems to take full blame "toofastforya’ll2003" insists he didn’t believe the boy, Kevin, was really 13.

Hansen: Was there a conversation about you look so much older?

Cartlidge: No. But, I did tell him that I think something does not seem right.

Hansen:  You also gave him a laundry list of sexual acts that you wanted to—engage with him in.

Cartlidge: Now you gonna tell me who you are now?

Hansen: I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC and we’re doing a story on adults who try to meet teens on the Internet.

Cartlidge: No.

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

Cartlidge: Thank you.  Thank you very much.

As he exits the backyard, law enforcement gets into position...and then makes the arrest.

The 43-year-old is taken to the booking station, photographed and brought in for questioning by a detective from the Petaluma police department- he continues to claim he didn’t think the boy was really thirteen.

Detective Steve Nelson:  So, did you talk to Kevin about having oral sex?

Cartlidge: Oh, yeah.  Probably.

Det. Nelson: Okay.  Did you talk to him about giving him his first? 

Cartlidge:  That’s what he was asking.

The detective also wants to find out if toofastforya’ll2003 brought alcohol...

Det. Nelson: What did you bring?

Cartlidge: Some Smirnoff and some—wine coolers.

Det. Nelson: Okay.  So, you were gonna bring that to the house?

Carlidge: Uh-huh (affirms).

Det. Nelson: For Kevin?

Cartlidge: Well, I don’t know for him or not.  I mean I was edgy when I got there.  I was like—“I don’t know about this.” 

The detective concludes the interview.

Cartlidge: Any chance of bailing out tonight or—

Det. Nelson: Yeah, they’ll explain to you—your bail—I think at—your bail’s $30,000.

Back at the house, another potential predator is on his way in.

Decoy: You made it. You look even better in person.  Have a—

Jeff Couture: Oh, thank you.

Decoy: --seat.  I made some drinks.  I made frozen lemon.  You can pour me one.

Couture: Excellent.

Most of the suspected predators we meet claim they weren’t doing anything wrong—but as you’ll soon hear this next man admits he has a problem.

Jeff Couture: Decided to bring the motorcycle.

Decoy: Ooh, that’s hot.  Maybe we can go for a ride later.

Couture: You bet.

He’s 34-year-old Jeffrey Couture—screen name jefe6.  He’s here to meet a girl he thinks is a 13-year-old virgin.  Online he said “Are you thinking you might want to have sex with me...” then he asks her if she’s ever received oral sex. The decoy says nope and he says, “Would you like me to?”

Decoy: So, what do you wanna do?

Couture: What do you have in mind?

Decoy: I asked you first.

Couture: (laughs)

Decoy: (laughs)

Couture: Thought you were supposed to be in the hot tub already.

Decoy: Oh, I’m just getting dressed.  I’ve got a surprise for you.

Chris Hansen (walks out): I guess I’m probably not the surprise you expected, am I?

Couture: You are exactly the surprise I—

Hansen: Why don’t you—

Couture: --expected.

Hansen: --have a seat over there for me?

Couture: You’re exactly what I was expecting.

Hansen: I am?

Couture: Pretty much.

Hansen: Then why did you come anyway?

Couture: You know—I don’t know.  ‘Cause I’m really stupid. I’ll tell you, I spent a lot a time online in the last 10 years.

Hansen: Yeah.

Couture: Developing these stupid fantasies.  And I actually went so far a few months ago as to delete my ID’s. To just get rid of it all.

Hansen: You knew you had a problem.

Couture: I knew I had a problem.  And then the other day, I got back online.

Hansen: Is this addiction?  

Couture:  Totally.

Hansen: Is it loneliness?  Is it something that you have tried to get help for in the past, but were—

Couture: I haven’t tried to get help.  I’ve tried to deal with it myself.

Jeff says after a decade-long obsession and an attempt to change his ways,  the lure was just too strong.

Couture:  Developed a stupid, irrational fantasy

Hansen: Meeting a 13 year old girl.

Couture: Well, you know, 13 is actually way younger than I would ever be interested. 

He says he’d really prefer 16- or 17-year-olds. Then he seems to imply that he wanted to get caught.

Couture: You happened to ask if I ever sought help.  Maybe I just did. I fully expected that this was a sting.

Hansen: But is there a part of you that really wishes there was this—13-year-old girl here and not me and the rest of this.

Couture: You know what? I don’t know if there is.  If there were really a 13-year-old girl who looked like your friend there, then-- (laughs) then I don’t know.  (laughs)

Hansen: You’re a good-looking guy who presumably could get dates.

Couture: Absolutely.  I have a girlfriend.

Hansen: You have a girlfriend.

Couture: Uh-Hmm (affirms). She’s a doctor.

Hansen: How’s that gonna go over?

Couture: Oh, it’s not gonna go over well.

Hansen: Did you bring any wine with you or --

Couture: I did.

Hansen: You did.

Couture: Uh-Hmm (affirms).

Hansen: For a 13-year-old girl.  Condoms?

Couture: Oh, I-- (laughs) I intended to.  And I was running late and I didn’t.

Hansen: So, you didn’t.

Couture: I—I—

Hansen: So, if you needed ‘em, you could just go get ‘em later.

Couture: Oh, hell yeah.  I mean, trust me, there’s no way I was gonna.. you know. Honestly, I don’t think I was gonna have sex with a 13-year-old girl.

But since he came to the house,  he finds out he’ll be appearing on national TV.

Couture: Well, that’s actually unexpected.  (laughs)

Hansen: So, you thought I was a police officer.

Couture: Yeah.  I have no idea who you are.  (laughs)

And as he leaves the backyard—something else he might find unexpected.

He explains to the detective why chatting online became an addiction.

Couture: It was a fantasy.  And it frustrated me that that fantasy wasn’t reality.

But he says his attempt to stop didn’t work. And that’s how he ended up in custody.

Couture: It’s like a drug.  It’s like it was definitely an addiction. I fell back into it. Recently, I’ve had feelings of excitement about a young girl losing her innocence.

The detective asks him about his computer.

Police officers:  Any pictures of sexually explicit pictures of children on it?

Couture: I might. I saved all the pictures that anyone sent me when I was chatting with them in the chat rooms. 

Police: And these would be pictures someone sent you?

Couture: Yes.

Police: People you’re chatting with at the time that were children?

Couture: Yes.

Couture:  I thought I might regret deleting them.  I thought maybe, you know, I might wanna masturbate to them at some point.

If police do find those pictures on his computer, he’ll likely be charged with possession of child pornography.

That’s in addition to the charge that he and all the other men face: attempted lewd or lascivious acts involving children.  They’ve all pleaded not guilty. Preliminary hearings will begin this week.

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