"I thought Todd was my soulmate. Jeffrey Stacey - Predator: [In a high pitched Mickey Mouse sounding voice] What's wrong with that? Its not going away. I think it's going to be a more sophisticated program. [deleted] 3 yr. ago. "And that resulted from a disagreement between a police department and a prosecutor's office. The reality is he did his time. Trace Turkelson, William Copeland IV, Cody Ewing, Tracy Fisher, and Otha Smith III (Canadian County Sheriffs Office). She had to ask herself: Who is this man I said I'd marry? If he was released as a convicted sex offender, he would have to adhere to a strict set of rules. In 2004, NBC reporter Chris Hansen began leading stings in which children played by adult actors invited men to meet them for sexual encounters. This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://lawandcrime.com and its author. We consult the prosecutors. Their route took them along Interstate 85, the same highway Todd had driven on the way to his planned hookup. But she didn't have time to wonder; she had to get to her job as a medical technician at Loganville Dialysis Center, outside Atlanta, where she would spend the day tending to dialysis patients, hooking them up to the whooshing machines that kept them alive. Investigators said all five of the alleged predators cooperated with authorities and admitted to their intentions when they met these decoys.. He knew hed face 10 years in prison for each image. NBC But the series ended after some negative headlines, which included one of the show's targets dying by . It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 12 - 15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. Friends advised Dianna to leave him, saying that a criminal shouldn't be around her children. It was devoted to impersonating To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. But this whole mess has become more trouble than it's worth.". It never happened," Dianna says. As Jessica and Rachel sat quietly in the back of the car, it dawned on Dianna how much Todd's arrest would affect them. He would never, ever do anything bad to a child. For upwards of US$100,000 per episode, the production hired controversial vigilante group Perverted-Justice to assist in the "exposure [and] arrest of men ostensibly interested in having sex with children."Perverted-Justice entered chat rooms and posed as children to lure such men to a . Three, it takes you into a world you wouldnt normally see. We would not do it without law enforcement and prosecutors being involved. What is the English language plot outline for To Catch a Predator (2004)? And there is a definitive link1 between child porn and child exploitation. But eventually the girls forgave Dianna, though they remain angry at Todd's sentence and upset about the way that Dateline tore apart their lives. [The suspects] have to make the first move, then raise the specter of sex, then come to the house. He laughs. Of course, you dont want anybody to hurt themselves. "Fourteen," he admitted, his voice cracking. And how will I put our lives back together? It wasnt comfortable. "I was trying to live normally, but I had this incredibly depressed person on my hands," says Dianna. "I wasn't OK with what he did, but I wasn't OK with him staying in jail, either. A few years earlier she'd gotten hooked on crystal meth. "I loved Todd, but I wasn't sure about my decision," she says. Knowing that youre behind us means so much. Biographical information "He knew that Todd had acted like an idiot," says Dianna. "You don't know anything?" He was having graphic conversations with two of our decoys. "Great," Rachel said. and nowadays, we have dozens and dozens of ways to communicate. Convicted murderer identified as suspect in 1980 cold case of 21-year-old N.J. woman foun The Construction Surge in Judea and Samaria Will Return. To Catch A Predator - The Predator That Brought His Own Decoy ,To Catch A Predator Caught A Teenager They Felt So Sorry For, That They Didn't Even Air This E. But if its kids, its really simple. After cutting away to another man's story, Dateline shows Todd outside the house as cops rush up to him, shouting that he should throw himself to the ground. she asked. Many in the medical community argue that people with sexual proclivities toward youth have a disorder. The elaborate sting was a joint operation between CCSO and the nonprofit organization Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA). Dumb.". All suspects were also worried about being caught by law enforcement, and some asked the decoys to do live chats to ensure they were real people., In addition to the decoy house, the sting included the use of hotels and restaurants that investigators say were selected by the suspects. Thats all its about. Nonprofit journalism about criminal justice, A nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system, Intimate portraits of people who have been touched by the criminal justice system. You work closely with law enforcement, but how do you avoid being seen as too close to them? He'd tried to do the right thing, she told herself. They are part of me, my absolute priority. On the drive to Todd's apartment, Dianna listened to his side of the story. I have a hard time feeling sorry for him. To Catch a Predator Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. When asked about the worst scenario he ever encountered while filming To Catch a PredatorThe one that made [you] question humanity the mostHansen didnt hesitate in replying, When the guy walked in, naked and wanted to involve whipped cream and a cat in the sexual scenario. (You can see the original clip here. I dont think so. Dianna had a revelation: Todd was part of her family. Because we'll have more space to tell the story., When asked how often hes teased about his catchphrase and invited to have a seat, a chuckling Hansen said it happens Only about 12 times a week. More than anything, she worried that her decision to stay with Todd could hurt her girls. In April 2015, Chris Hansen announced the start of a Kickstarter campaign to fund a reboot of the series. "Can't we appeal?" But fans kept asking him to bring back the stings, and last year Hansen mounted a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $90,000 for a reboot called "Hansen vs. Predator.". That they wouldnt have otherwise acted on their fantasies? Glamour may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. That's about as far as Todd gets. To Catch a Predator was an American news expos series that featured hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine program Dateline NBC. And there is the dramatic, signature moment when the visible cameras come out. So the guys dont see it. Trending pages Nervous Nellie/Nelly Casey Mauro Del Harvey Male HvP Decoy Emily Bicks Dani Miura Dan Schrack Lindsay Faye Wagner All items (10) # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O Her most memorable encounter during the Flagler Beach sting was with James Hambubger Wiles. Dianna confided her dilemma to Todd's roommate. Her phone rang endlessly. When Dianna was 15, she'd been sexually molested by an older man. Del was extremely handsy with Emily, making any excuse to touch her and physically moving her places despite no real need to do so. The decoy then tells the man her parents are away and invites him "home"to a house outfitted with hidden cameras. NEW EVIDENCE! Dianna stood up, hurled the phone at the window and stalked out of his sight without saying another word. She felt she had to give him a second chance, even though it wouldn't be an easy choice to live with. ", On September 22, 2006, Todd's episode of Dateline: To Catch a Predator aired. And until Dianna Strawder decided to talk to Glamour, none of these women had ever spoken to a national magazine. It all comes down to family. "I immediately thought about leaving him. He hadn't believed she was 14her language had been too sophisticated, and when he saw her in person, he'd sized her up as being of legal age. "I complimented his boots, and before I knew it, we'd been talking for two hours," she says. It was the roommate of her fianc, Todd West. Her head spinning, Dianna couldn't imagine what her sweet, gentle Toddthe man who surprised her on Sunday mornings with Spanish omelets and cried when his cats were sickhad done. Samantha Cope was the female decoy involved in the Flagler Beach, Florida edition of To Catch A Predator. It's not that I think he was trying to actually have sex with a 14-year-old girl. Is there a question of whether people would have attempted to harm children had they not been lured by the decoy? Chris Hansen himself even said it, he said that his best decoy was Casey Mauro. A month later Dianna finally allowed Todd to see her daughters. the woman said. Chris talks with Casey Mauro, who was the decoy actress in the Dateline NBC To Catch A Predator investigation episodes in New Jersey and Kentucky. Article continues below advertisement And it never gets tiring., 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. "I believe in him." "Rachel didn't say a word to me for two weeks," she says. It was devoted to impersonating Read allTo Catch a Predator is an American reality television series that features hidden camera investigations by the television news magazine program Dateline NBC. "I kept asking myself, Am I a lunatic for putting this man near my children?". Nor do they raise the issue of having sex. A few times, she had to greet the predators on the beach with Chris emerging from behind the boardwalk after the predators made it to her. Todd had been arrested for trying to solicit sex from a decoy disguised as an underage girl. Do people say to you, they should be punished, but not shamed? "I believe that people should be able to redeem themselves.". He told her he'd started chatting online with the girl because he was scared of getting married. Plot summary Add synopsis Crime Drama Reality-TV Add content advisory January 30, 2007 (United States) See more company credits at IMDbPro Technical specs 44 minutes Contribute to this page I dont know if he had a closet life, I dont know what was going on. In a Dateline hidden camera investigation, correspondent Chris Hansen catches some of these men in the act. Life as the wife of a convicted sex predator was relentlessly demoralizing. Samantha Cote What the woman told her next made Dianna's hands and knees tremble so hard she had to pull over to the side of the road. "You can make a request to the superior court," said Wadkins, "but there is no judge in Georgia who is going to let your husband live with your daughters.". Does he own a gun? May 5, 1987 Predator, conducted a sting operation in conjunction with local police in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was devoted to impersonating underage people (generally ages 12-15) and detaining male adults who contacted them over the Internet for sexual liaisons. In his 30-plus-year career as an investigative journalist, Chris Hansen has had occasion to come into contact with all sorts of criminal types. "The whole world was going to think my girls had a creep for a stepdad. Have a tip we should know? Five men in Oklahoma have been arrested after law enforcement authorities conducted a four-day sting to catch child sex predators. This is me keeping that promise.". Dianna expected to feel more settled after their quiet elopement, but the opposite proved true. A grand jury issued a harsh indictment against Todd for his actions: criminal attempt to commit child molestation and criminal attempt to commit statutory rape. The cameras show a man walking up to the front door. The network was sued for $105 million and settled out of court. "), Dianna felt she knew something about mistakes and redemption. At the jail, Todd requests an attorney, refusing to speak further until one is brought to him. Together they'd have to face the repercussions of the broadcast of the Dateline episodeand Todd's trial, which would take place sometime early the next year. ", Dianna carefully explained and told her daughters that though she wasn't sure about the future of the relationship, she was going to get Todd out of jail and take him to his home. Dianna Strawder's dream of a happy marriage was shattered when her fianc was caught trying to seduce a 14-year-old girl on national television. He battled tabloid stories of an extramarital affair. Company Credits He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. Click this link for the original source of this article. People were lured to meet with a decoy under the preten See production, box office & company info, [Chris Hansen, as he reads to Jeffrey Stacey from the chat log transcript of his conversation with the decoy], [In a high pitched Mickey Mouse sounding voice], JonTron: Top 10 Most Overrated Games of All Time. Perverted-Justice has only ever encountered one female predator, according to Del Harvey, who has been a Perverted-Justice contributor since 2004 and who has acted as a decoy in the group's . The camera zooms in on Todd's nervous, smiling face. Then, she says, he hung his head in shame. As generations of college kids graduated and watched it, they thought it was brand new. Until we deal with this as a society and reduce the demand, were going to have this problem. Chris Hansen, the host of Crime Watch Daily.. It was a hit. Hear behind the scenes details and find out what Casey is up to these days!For additional content and other perks check out www.patreon.com/criminalperspectiveThis episode is brought to you by:Shelter Farm SanctuaryDeep Search TattooAnchorSpotify#tocatchapredator #tcap #ChrisHansen #HansenVsPredator #CrimeWatchDaily #podcast #Dateline #NBC #MSNBC #Youtube #truecrime #crime #internet #internetsafety #safety #decoy #actress #CaseyMauro #predator #tv #television #news #undercover #computer #sexcrime #spotify Rachel called Todd, exulting, "Mom says she'll still marry you. It's about me being a good mother." The alleged conversations with the suspects escalated to sexually graphic conversations very quickly, the sheriffs office said. "Thank you," Todd whispered when she arrived. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. She'd had time to ask only if he was OK and had no details of what he'd done. And Dianna, a 34-year-old divorced mother of two adolescent daughters, was about to endure the private agonies behind what has become a very public form of entertainment. Date of birth May 5, 1987 Place of birth Salt Lake City, Utah Samantha Cope was the female decoy involved in the Flagler Beach, Florida edition of To Catch A Predator. Dianna Strawder had just stepped out of the shower in the early-morning darkness in July 2006 when her phone rang. Above all was the question of her daughters' safety and well-being; Dianna had custody of her children, and Todd was around the apartment a lot when the girls, ages 11 and 13, were there. "We've hired a young-looking 19-year-old named Amanda to play the part of . [1] It is safe to say of all the decoys that branched out into acting after the show that Cope has found the most success. If some retired reporter from the Houston Chronicle with his glasses down his nose wants to take me to task, thats fine. To Catch a Predator . In October of this year, Dianna made up her mind to divorce Todd. Dumb. And that former prosecutors said that every one of those cases could have been taken to court, should the prosecutor have chosen to do so., Though it was suggested that pursuing more female predators would be beneficial to the public, Hansen admitted that, We never had a female predator surface in our investigation. Official Sites We actually got a call from the lawyers at Mike's Hard Lemonade asking us to not use their product anymore, Hansen said. Her interactions with the predators were not very involved as she would invite them in and then quickly announce she was going to the back to change as Chris would come out for the confrontation. Todd had been arrested for trying to solicit sex from a decoy disguised as an underage girl. "Todd is in jail," he said. When we began, we used chatrooms on AOL and Yahoo! Viewers have the satisfaction of seeing these menwho have included public officials, schoolteachers and a rabbihauled away, sometimes in handcuffs. Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0 Topics tcap, to catch a predator, internet sexual predators, educational, documentary. . "This [note] is to inform you that Todd West has been convicted of charges stemming from his arrest in the Dateline NBC/Perverted Justice sting operationin which he solicited, for sexual purposes, someone he believed to be 14 years of age," read the e-mail. Her fianc, she learned, had been caught in a sting orchestrated by the popular Dateline: To Catch a Predator series. The site poked fun at Dianna. "I kept expecting people to run up to us on the streetto yell at Todd. Absolutely. I think we evolve and get smarter every time we do it.
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