Inside Dateline : To Catch A Predator

‘To Catch a Predator’ goes to Kentucky

Dateline Editor — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:22:00 GMT

By Chris Hansen, Dateline Correspondent

It’s our twelfth “To Catch A Predator” investigation and this time we’re set up in a 6,000- square foot home in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It’s a town of about 50,000 people an hour north of Nashville, Tennessee.

Each one of these investigations has its own rhythm and Kentucky is no different. Within hours I am struck by the fact that fewer men are showing up at our hidden camera house than in past investigations.

Looking back I think this at least partially because the Kentucky Attorney General’s office and the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation, along with local law enforcement, have been actively pursuing online predators in the past year.

Before Dateline’s investigation in Bowling Green, the Attorney General’s office with the help of the online watchdog group Perverted Justice had conducted two previous sting operations without us, making 20 arrests.

One of them was a 59-year old criminal justice instructor at an Ohio college who used to be an elementary school teacher. He had been chatting online about having sex with a decoy posing as a13-year-old girl before showing up to meet her at the undercover house.

Even after this earlier high-profile case, though, we still saw men in our investigation eager to meet a young teen home alone for sex. As you will see, seven men show up over three and a half days and all seven are arrested after I talk to them and they leave the house.

You’ll see in Kentucky that we employ the same online decoy, Casey, who we used in New Jersey. She is just as effective in this latest investigation as she was before talking to the men in person.

You’ll see the grooming process in real time.

Also in Kentucky we see a range of men show up, from a factory worker to a man who says he’s a police detective and carries a gun.

Watch the heart-pounding moments when, as he leaves our hidden camera house, he refuses to follow orders from the arresting officers.

'To Catch a Predator' Kentucky airs Friday, Dec. 28.

Click here for more about the series.

Do potential predators ever think they’ll get caught?

Dateline Editor — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:50:00 GMT

By Chris Hansen, Dateline Correspondent

The fireman
Tonight we’re back in Ocean County, N.J., for the second part of our "To Catch A Predator" investigation. Among the first men you’ll meet here is a guy who uses new ruse to convince a 14-year-old girl named Jane to let him come over to her family’s house and have sex. Jane is really a decoy from Perverted Justice.

In his online chat 42-year old Rick Burnham pretends to be a 21-year-old college student going by the screen name "uconnbluenwhite". Then he introduces "Jane" to his older friend "stevetakespix" who supposed to be a real cool guy who just happens to be interested in taking the virginity of a 14-year-old.

We think what he’s trying to do is not scare off the young teen by giving his real age in the beginning of the chat. As you watch Burnham walk into our hidden camera house, he’s just driven three hours from Connecticut. Watch as it appears he want to get right down to business. He chats with Casey, our decoy, for a bit and when she excuses herself to go to the next room, he’s right behind her. As I walk out to talk to him, we almost bump into each other.

That’s when I see something sticking out of his back pocket. When I ask him what it is, he says it’s his cell phone. I know it’s not a cell phone so I say: "No. The other back pocket." As you’re about to see, the item he pulls out leaves little doubt about his intent. Burnham, by the way, is retired fire department captain who says he’s now a freelance photographer.

Grooming technique
We’re about to see another man who makes himself comfortable on the beach of our multi-million dollar home on the ocean. James Marcott, 32, doesn’t seem one bit nervous as his sits down to talk to our decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl. Perhaps he has experience talking to teenagers.

In his on line chat he told the decoy that he had earlier met a 15-year-old girl online. Watch now as he tells Casey that not only did he met her, he also had sex with her. When I talk to Marcott, he changes his story, saying he never had sex with a 15-year-old. Why would someone say this online?

Experts tell us it’s a common grooming technique used by potential predators. Almost as if to say: "It’s ok. Other kids you age have already done this." But in this case it’s going to be another lead to be followed up on by detectives with the Ocean County Prosecutors Office.

Everyday guys
Once again, we see just how many of the guys who surface in our investigations look like everyday guys who don’t stand out of a crowd. If you live in Pennsylvania, you might have even purchased a car from one of our next visitors.

When we meet 39-year old Jeremy Keister he has a job selling luxury cars. Watch as Keister walks into our home. Something spooks him right away. He almost freezes. I think it may have been when Casey offered him some brownies that something clicked and he maybe realizes he’s just walked into a "To Catch A Predator" investigation. All doubt is removed when he admits he knows exactly who I am. He even says: "It’s nice to meet you."

Head first
You may have seen last week’s preview to tonight’s show, where we showed video of one of our visitors who went head first into the bar in the family room of our hidden camera house. People have been asking me about it all week. Tonight, you’ll see the whole story.

The man I’m talking about is 37-year-old Kazuo Akustso. When we meet him he’s a shirt-and-tie salesman at a major Manhattan department store. I have seen a lot during the three years we’ve been doing these investigations, but nothing quite like this. Kazuo walks in, chats with our decoy Casey, and then I walk out. What you don’t see on camera is that the color literally drains from his face.

I can’t be sure that he knew who I was or what he has just walked into, but he knows it’s not good. He goes down on his knees, gets back up and then apparently faints, crashing head-first into the bar. A medic comes in to check him out. Later police say he’s OK.

What were they thinking?
As we finish up in New Jersey, consider this: nearly half of the 28 men who surfaced in this investigation had seen one of our earlier investigations. What does that say to me? Some people have suggested that some of these guys want to get caught, perhaps maybe even want to be on our show. Possibly, but I still think most of these guys just really don’t think it could happen to them.

Click here for the script to "To Catch a Predator" New Jersey

Despite probation, man still shows up at 'Predator' house

Dateline Editor — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:55:00 GMT

By Chris Hansen, Dateline Correspondent

More often than not, when a potential predator shows up at one of our hidden camera houses he has no criminal history for sexual assault or soliciting a minor online for sex. But when a convicted sex offender does come over, we typically know in advance. That’s because most states have easily accessible databases where you can simply enter a name and other identifying information and if there’s a match you’ll know in seconds.

Such is the case as we continue our “To Catch A Predator” investigation in Ocean County, New Jersey. Before 36-year-old Todd Lewis even knocks on our door, we suspect that he’s the same Todd Lewis who in 2003 pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. As you’ll see, it doesn’t appear that he’s learned his lesson in the four years since.

Court documents from the earlier case show that Lewis met his victim online. He admitted taking the girl to a wooded area, engaging in kissing and having her perform oral sex on him. Lewis served less than a year in prison for that case and was released on good behavior.

When you see him walk into our house in Ocean County, he’s still on probation. The earlier case is eerily similar to what we see Lewis do in our investigation. Again the intended victim is a 14-year-old girl. Again, Lewis wants the girl to perform oral sex on him and again he first meets his target on the Internet.

His chat with the decoy from the online watchdog group Perverted Justice goes on for the better part of five days. How intent was he on meeting our decoy? Wait until you see how long it took him to get here and how he traveled on an unseasonably cold night. It is one of many surprises as “To Catch A Predator” New Jersey continues.

Part two of "To Catch a Predator" New Jersey airs tonight, July 25, at 10 p.m. on NBC. Click here to watch part one.

To search for sex offenders in your area, visit the National Sex Offender Public Registry.

Behind-the-scenes on the New Jersey shore

Dateline Editor — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 01:08:00 GMT

By Chris Hansen, Dateline Correspondent

These posts are meant to coincide with the broadcast.

10:03 p.m.
One of the things you may notice tonight as you watch our 11th "To Catch A Predator" investigation is how much more interaction there is between the men and the young woman we've hired to be our onsite decoy. In past investigations the young woman or young man typically invites the potential predator in, chats for a few seconds, and then disappears.

Here in New Jersey, where we've set up in a multi-million dollar home on the beach, our decoy Casey is able to have much longer conversations with the men. This gives us a keen insight into what they plan on doing to a young teen. Usually we mostly rely on the men's online chats with Perverted Justice decoys and while that does give us a graphic look at these guy's intentions, it is really startling to see them engage in the grooming process in real-time.

At the start of each of these investigations I'm never sure what to expect from the onsite decoy. They are usually college students who happen to look younger than they are, who have an interest in the theatre, and see this as a chance to perform and do something worthwhile in the process. All of the ones we've used have been sharp kids and have done a great job for us. Here in New Jersey, though, you'll see tonight Casey's work is extraordinary.

10:12 p.m.
A few months ago, in our Flagler Beach, Fla., investigation, we tried something different: a second location on the beach. Here in New Jersey, thanks to all the hard work of Mitch Wagenberg and his crew, we just about perfected it. It gives us the option of having the decoy invite the guys into a different setting. I wasn't sure it would work out as well as it did. Would the men be nervous about being seen in public with a young girl? What if a beachcomber walked by and spooked him?

As you'll see, it posed no problem at all. Several of our visitors seemed very comfortable in the beach chair. The real challenge was getting good, quality audio on the beach without having the men see a microphone. It's another technological feat. The microphones were hidden in seashells.

10:32 p.m.
I know I have said this before, but each time we do another "To Catch a Predator" investigation, I keep wondering if it's going to be the one where no one shows up. After all, this one is our 11th. We've conducted them in 8 different states now and 286 men have surfaced in the investigation over three years; 256 have been arrested and, as of this writing, 117 men have either pleaded guilty or been found guilty after a trial. You'd think word would get out -- and I suppose it has -- but here on the Jersey shore men are practically lined up at our door.

Many of them -- perhaps a third to a half -- know exactly what they've walked into as soon as they see me. In a few minutes you'll meet Michael Lubrano. He's 25 and comes to our house to meet a girl who told him she was 14. Here's another "To Catch a Predator first."

He brings marijuana and actually has Casey the decoy give it the smell test. Now listen to what he says when I walk out. He knows exactly who I am. In the back of my mind I'm thinking: How could a guy who "religiously" watches our show walk into one of our hidden camera houses? Listen to the compliment he gives me. For those of you who don't know, "Opie and Anthony" is a syndicated morning radio show.

10:44 p.m.
In this investigation we continue to see men from all walks of life and of all ages. Before the New Jersey operation is over we'll meet an engineer, a school bus driver, a former camp counselor, a retired fire fighter and, as you're about to see, a 33-year old Air Force mechanic named Ernest Timmons. He shows up after a sexually explicit conversation with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl. Watch how fast he moves after he comes into our house. I've never seen anything quite like this guy.

He's got his expensive digital camera in hand and ready to go as he tries to hustle Casey upstairs for some quick photos. There's a moment when our decoys tells him she wants to stay downstairs and talk first and that's when I sense he might be ready to take off. As I walk into the room and start to talk to him, he offers up his excuses: a big misunderstanding; a friend sent him.

While sweating profusely, he's sticking to his story. He tells me he's about to be deployed to Iraq. Apparently that's not going to be happening anymore.

New Jersey 'Predator' full of firsts

Dateline Editor — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:57:00 GMT

By Chris Hansen, Dateline Correspondent

Our 11th computer predator investigation takes place in a multi-million dollar home on the beautiful shoreline of New Jersey. It's a picture perfect vacation spot for parents and children -- and for potential predators as well.

This particular investigation is full of firsts. We have had decoys in our hidden camera homes in previous operations greet and chat in person with our visitors, but this is the first time we were set up to capture such extensive interaction between the two. As you'll see, our onsite decoy Casey looks a lot younger than her 18 years, but don't be fooled.

She was exceptional when it came to making conversation with almost every one of the 28 men who came to our house. What makes this so revealing is that we not only see the potential predator engage in the grooming process in his online chat, we also see it in real time.

We have two separate places where the men can be greeted. One is inside the house in the family room and one is on the beach, with the roar of the ocean in the background. It's stunning to watch, as some of these men feel so comfortable sitting across from Casey in a beach chair explaining to her in person what they want to do to her sexually. A 53-year-old man named Eugene tells Casey, "You just relax. And I'll take care of everything, okay?" Then he says: "Just be your self. I'll just try to explain as I go. Tell me if you enjoy it." Of course he's not so explicit when I walk out.

In each of our recent investigations we've found men who have seen or heard about our "To Catch a Predator" shows and surprisingly, still show up to meet a young teen. I've gotten used to the fact that this will happen, but I have never seen anything like what happened in New Jersey.

There was actually one guy who came in and instantly recognized me. He told me that he was a religious "To Catch a Predator" viewer and that he never missed an episode. Before I could formulate my next question, he volunteered that he had heard me on a syndicated radio program and complimented me for doing a good job.

Once again we see men of all ages and from all walks of life, including a military man who seemed to be in a hurry. He comes running in with an expensive digital camera and tries to get our decoy to hustle upstairs.

Instead, he encounters me. Watch as his story changes and his situation goes from bad to worse in what is one of the most compelling "To Catch a Predator" shows we've ever put together.

"To Catch a Predator" airs on Wednesday, July 18 and Wednesday, July 25 at 10 p.m.

The 'predator' series in our own words

Dateline Editor — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 20:00:00 GMT

by Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent

This “To Catch A Predator” special takes a look back at our earlier investigations as well as a look forward at some critical areas involving online predators we’ve yet to explore.

More important, it’s told in a unique way. Producer Lynn Keller interviewed me, Del and Frag from the online watchdog group Perverted-Justice, some of the law enforcement officers who ran parallel investigations to arrest the men we confronted, and a prosecutor.

The story is told in essentially our own words. It will take you behind the scenes, going back to our very first investigation in Long Island, New York. You’ll see how the investigations developed and became more sophisticated. There are moments that are startling, disturbing and in a few instances even humorous. We’ll answer some of the questions you’ve raised here on the blog.

You may know that I recently wrote a book called “To Catch A Predator” in an effort to explore several important aspects of this subject that we’ve not had time to flesh out on television. One of those areas is that of collateral damage-- what happens to the wives and children of the men who are arrested. You’ll meet Darlene Calvin who appears in the book and you’ll hear the inspirational story of how she put her life back together after her husband’s arrest. You’ll also hear the unique prospective of Bob Shilling, a Seattle Police detective who investigates sex crimes against children, who himself was the victim of sexual abuse as a child.

Take a look at the program. I think you’ll find it interesting and insightful.

More behind-the-scenes in Flagler Beach, Fla.

Dateline Editor — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 01:03:00 GMT

This was Tuesday's live blog. These posts were meant to coincide with the broadcast.

by Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent

8:03 p.m.
Usually when two potential predators arrive at close to the same time, I try to move quickly through the first interview so that we are ready for the second. But here in Flagler Beach, you’re about to see something I’ve not done before. Two men show up so close to each other I have no choice but to conduct the interviews at the same time. Watch as I introduce the two men to each other and see if you can figure out which one has seen our previous Dateline investigations.

8:15 p.m.
This being our 10th investigation, we figure that some of the men, perhaps even the majority of them here have seen our previous shows and maybe anxious about actually walking into a house. So we are prepared when the men set up a second meeting location across the street at the beach. The police are under the boardwalk and hidden cameras are set up in and around a beached sailboat. In a moment you’ll see how it all works out.

8:34 p.m.
Sometimes Perverted-Justice decoys talk online with potential predators for weeks about a sexual liaison -- and still the man never shows up. You’re about to meet a guy who we thought was going to do just that: 41-year-old Todd Spikes engaged in an explicit online chat with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl. His intent seems pretty clear as much of his chat is unfit to print or put on TV. It’s Sunday night and we worked very late the night before. The whole team is beat. I ask Frag of Perverted Justice if he thinks Spikes is going to show up. Frag says Spikes hasn’t communicated with the decoy for hours. We decide he’s probably a no-show and break down for the night. Man, were we wrong.

8:51 p.m.
Minutes after we arrive at the hotel, the decoy gets a call. It’s Spikes and he’s in Flagler beach after what we figure is more than a 5-hour drive from his home in northern Florida. It turns our Spikes is a cop from a small town in southern Alabama. In spite of having three cell phones in his car, he uses a pay phone to call. There’s no way to get everybody in position back in the house and it turns out that may have been a good thing. The police pull him over. Wait until you see what he had stashed in his car: 800 rounds of ammo, an assault rifle, three bullet proof vests and camera equipment. He also had a pistol in his pocket. In a moment you’ll see what he has to say for himself.

8:55 p.m.
You've heard a lot from these men in their own words--- next week, I'll let you know what I was thinking while all this was happening in my own words. We’ll answer some of your e-mails and blog posts, and we'll tell you who's been convicted and how long they'll be behind bars.

Click here to read a transcript of the show and to watch the show online.

A lawman visits the ‘Predator’ house

Dateline Editor — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 19:01:00 GMT

by Chris Hansen, Dateline Correspondent

As our “To Catch a Predator” investigation in Flagler Beach, Florida continues, you’re going to see something we don’t experience very often. It’s hard to imagine, but we had an active duty member of law enforcement arrive at our hidden camera house after an extremely graphic online chat with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl for nearly a month.

We didn’t know it at the time but 41-year-old Todd Spikes was a police officer for the Florala, Alabama Police Department.

He drove more than 300 miles from his home in northern Florida to meet the girl he thought he was chatting with. For awhile we weren’t sure he was going to actually show up. He didn’t call or send an online message for hours. Then he called the decoy to say he was in town. We scrambled into position just in time to see Flagler Beach police arrest him. As if it’s not scary enough that a lawman would engage in this sort of behavior, wait until you see what police found in his car. There was an arsenal including an assault rifle that was loaded and chambered next to the driver’s seat of Spikes’ SUV.

Before the night was over we’d find out a lot more about Spikes and what he had stashed in his car and hidden in his pocket. Spikes has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer has suggested he had the weapons as part of his job. He’s been fired from the Florala P.D.

Part 2 of 'To Catch a Predator' in Flagler Beach, Fla. airs Tuesday, 8 p.m. on NBC. Click here to read a transcript of the show and to watch the show online.

Editor's note: Tomorrow, in another hidden camera investigation, Dateline demonstrates how people might react when they see a potential crime being committed. Watch some surprising and jaw-dropping moments that will show you how a criminal can steal your car, your priceless antique... and even your child... right in broad daylight. Read more about 'Wild Bill: Breaking and Entering.'

Behind the scenes in Flagler Beach, Fla.

Dateline Editor — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 05:56:00 GMT

This was Tuesday's live blog. These posts were meant to coincide with the broadcast.

by Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent

7:55 p.m.
Meet a the guy who thinks he’s about to get away it, at least for a few minutes. Mohamed Abdalla walks into our hidden camera house oozing with confidence. Notice how relaxed he is talking with our actress posing as a young teen home alone. Even when I walk out to talk to him, he’s got his story all set and he’s sticking to it.

Abdalla tells me that he’s in real estate and was driving through our area to check on a piece of property he owns. Along the way he notices that the space shuttle is blasting off from nearby Cape Kennedy and pulls over his car to watch. Just a short while earlier, we too had watch the spectacular nighttime launch.

What Abdalla isn’t prepared for is that I have not only the transcripts of his sexually explicit conversation with a decoy posing as a 13-old-girl, but also naked photos of himself that he sent online. How do we know it is Abdalla in the photos? As you’re about to see, a unique piece of jewelry in the picture matches one that is hanging around the 34-year-old man’s neck. So much for the clever story.

8:16 p.m.
In a moment you’re going to meet a 22-year-old college student and chemistry teacher named Deepak Bist. This guy drove four hours to get here and after reading his online chat with a decoy who said she was 13, I am wondering what he was thinking about during that long car ride. I guess you could argue that all of these guys should know better, but Bist actually talks about our investigations during his chat. He even tells the decoy he’s watched Dateline’s “To Catch A Predator” the evening before his chat. This doesn’t seem to stop him from bringing a virtual sex kit to his underage liaison.

8:33 p.m.
We may be shooting in Florida, but on this night it is windy and cold. That doesn’t stop a 24-year-old amateur boxer named David Wagner from showing up to meet a 13-year-old girl. The boxer starts to leave when he sees me walk into the room. But watch as he decides to come back and answer some questions. He asks me if this is an “open house” as if he were shopping for real estate. It’s an open house all right…one in which 21 men would show up during four days last December.

8:46 p.m.
Towards the end of tonight’s show, you’re going to see a potential predator try to meet a teen in a location besides our hidden camera house. This is a challenge both logistically and technically. We set up several hidden cameras on the beach across the street from our house. The idea is to have a potential predator meet our decoy on the boardwalk connecting A1A and the beach. As you watch our next guest show up, see if you can figure out where we’ve hidden our cameras and where the Flagler Beach Police are hiding before the arrest.

8:57 p.m.
Next week, we tell you exactly where everything and everyone was and you’ll see what happens when a member of law enforcement shows up in our investigation. It’s an officer who may have more firepower than the Flagler Beach officers working in this investigation.

'She waved at me,' and other excuses

Dateline Editor — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:16:00 GMT

by Chris Hansen, Dateline correspondent

Since we started our “To Catch A Predator” investigations almost two and a half years ago, I have confronted more than 200 men who had sexually explicit online chats with decoys posing as young teens before showing up for a date at one of our hidden camera houses.

Many of the men ultimately admit their intentions and sometimes go into great detail about their online addictions and compulsions that led them to our door.

But every once in a while, I run into someone who comes up with what he thinks is a plausible story-- an “innocent excuse” if you will -- for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Such is the case with the first man you’ll meet tonight. He’s a 32-year-old successful real estate executive who was chatting online with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl. As you’ll see, he’s a pretty confident guy when he walks into our house. When I start to ask him questions, he says he was in our area checking on some property he owned and had pulled off the road near our house to get a good view of the space shuttle blasting off. In fact, we’d been treated to the same inspiring sight just a short while earlier.

Click the photo for a video preview of the exchange.

Then he tells me he just happened to see our decoy in the driveway, assumed our house was for sale, and figured he’d stop in to check it out. Unfortunately for him that doesn’t explain his sexually explicit chat or the naked photos he sent. While there’s no face in the pictures to match the man standing in our living room, there’s a distinctive piece of jewelry that matches exactly the one he’s wearing. That’s where his crafty story starts to unravel.

During our investigation in Flagler beach, we’re not only prepared for excuses, we’re also ready for men who may want to meet at a location besides our house. It presents a technical challenge, but as you’ll see, it’s one that pays off.

The first part of the Flagler Beach episode airs Tuesday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m.