Upstate man filming 'To Catch a Predator' style show, against law enforcement's wishes - Yahoo! Voices

Ryan Fleming wants criminal sexual predators to be recognized and he's trying to find them and make them well-known through his own "To Catch a Predator" style videos.

What he's doing is not helpful and could endanger potential legal cases, according to several law enforcement officials.

But his first video did lead to a criminal charge in Belton and led two Belton officers to getting involved in a state task force, according to Belton Police Department Chief Ross Richey.

After an independent investigation by police, prosecutors are supporting a criminal case stemming from Fleming's video, Richey said.

While Richey considers the end result a success, he does not want a repeat.

Fleming said he plans to make some changes after law enforcement officers, at least three of them, told him his approach was wrong.

He said many people caught in underage sex cases aren't sentenced to long prison time and he wants to make the people he targets famous among young children so the children know who to avoid.

As a result of his video, a man in his 40s was charged with criminal solicitation of a minor, according to an arrest warrant that cites "cell phone camera" footage without noting that the footage came from someone who is not a law enforcement officer.

The two Belton officers who investigated the case impressed state officials and have been asked to join a state child sex crime task force based on their work in this case, Richey said. Once that formal arrangement is finished, the officers would continue their normal duties and it would increase Belton's capacity to prosecute child sex offenses, he said.

"We don't need people doing freelance investigations because it puts us behind the curve," Richey said.

People who get information about potential crimes, including sex crimes, should immediately contact police, he said.

"We are forever grateful to have the opportunity to salvage evidence in this case, the solicitor says it is prosecutable," Richey said.

source: https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/upstate-man-filming-catch-predator-110223758.html

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