MSNBC's 'To Catch a Predator' Goes Awry in Murphy, Texas
Takes a Hit
This sting according to MSNBC has set off a ring of fire. The city manager who approved the operation in the area has had his contract bought out by the city to the tune of $255,000. Also the Prosecutor for Murphy, Texas is now refusing to do his job and prosecute the people who entered the sting house.
What could Prosecutor John Roach be thinking, that he will not now prosecute the men who came to a home to meet a person that they thought were underage? According to the MSNBC report, John Roach says that the investigation was "tainted by amateurs", also with heavy fire coming on his head from other officials.
The MSNBC report says that the City Manager named Craig Sherwood had not informed the Mayor of Murphy or the Town Council of his decision to allow the filming in the town. In his defense Sherwood has said that secrecy was a necessity in order for the operation to work the way that it was intended. On the other side of this very interesting turn of events, the crew actually had a man that was an Assistant DA in a neighboring town in Kauffman County named Louis Conradt Jr., before the decision was made not to prosecute the men that came to the sting house that day was made, authorities went to arrest Conradt at his home. Conradt ended up committing suicide when the police knocked on his door, by shooting himself. Dateline was in the street when authorities moved in for the arrest.
Patricia Conradt is the sister of Louis Conradt Jr. and told City Council members in Murphy that Dateline and Police tried to act as though they were "a judge, jury and executioner that was encouraged by an out-of-control reality show."
MSNBC is reporting that the sting had taken place November and had been held in the house for a four day period. Twenty-four men visited the sting house over those 4 days, there were other individuals that had spoken with the people who were undercover for Perverted Justice but do not show up at the home.
The main reason according to the report from MSNBC that Prosecutor John Roach has decided not to prosecute the men involved is due to "16 of the cases, he had no jurisdiction, since neither the suspects nor the decoys were in the county during the online chats." He also said that the remaining individuals could not be proven that the "chat logs were authentic and complete." Roach continued with saying "The fact that somebody besides police officers were involved is what makes this case bad. If professionals had been running the show, they would have done a much better job rather than being at the beck and call of outsiders."
Some believe that the decision not to prosecute the men by John Roach was influenced due to the public outrage that ensued after word became public about Louis Conradt Jr. had committed suicide, and the events that evidently caused him to do so.
Some of the people in the area were completely not happy with the information about the Predator Sting House. MSNBC quotes Lisa Watson as saying "They can chase predators all they want, but they shouldn't do it in a populated area with children, two blocks from an elementary school." Watson lives just a little way down the road from where the house was located. Another man in the area named Bryan Whorton who lives right across from the sting house told MSNBC that people had been put in danger due to this operation. MSNBC says that Whorton has said "Cars sped up and down the street and police sprinted from hiding spots, guns drawn, to arrest suspects, he said. One suspect dropped a bag of crack. This is a family community. It didn't look kosher at all."
The host of "To Catch A Predator," Chris Hansen told MSNBC that they had never dealt with a situation like this before. After filming over 9 such stings that there has every been a problem such as this. Texas Deputy Attorney General Eric Nichols tells MSNBC that "when law enforcement authorities pull an internet sex sting, officers posing as decoys follow strict rules. Detailed chat logs are kept to ensure that "sex talk" is initiated by the potential predator. That way, a defendant cannot claim entrapment." Supporting this idea, Eric Chase who is a defense attorney that handles sex crime cases agrees with Eric Nichols and says "Police should not be abdicating a very important function to either private organizations or entertainment organizations."
One thing is certain in this situation, the future of the very popular series has a lot to go through now. Best guess is that men who have been convicted from stings such as this will try to have convictions and such overturned. The scary thing of course also is that these individuals could possible be out doing the same acts and more at this very moment, all around the country.
RESOURCES:
DA refuses to prosecute 'Catch a Predator' cases ~ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19486893/
Published by WriteOnMom
Write On Mom is a mother, wife, and writer living in the mountains of North Carolina with her family. View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentWhile I enjoy watching MSNBC catch the FILTH that is littering Americas cities and towns, I can not help but wonder why MSNBC continues to NEGLECT the same crimes, and information of suspects that woman are committing against the same age of young adult. It would be nice if they produced a show on how woman to are abusing young adults on the internet and in person.
How about it MSNBC, can you and the produces show a series of shows to show what we need to watch for in women predators?
While I understand that catching these men is very improtant, I have been wathcing this show a lot latelyand see this as MSNBC just looking for ratings. In an epsoide that I saw tonight Theyasked law enforcement officals in FL If they investigated Preveted Justice Prior to the show,
the offical said that it had been done and there was no problems. However this article here wouold tend to say otherwise. They seem to have a good account of the chats that are taking place but, If I were a defense lawyer I'd argue that these records sense not sent or monitored by law enforcement could be slanted against the men doing the chat in other words this sounds like entrapment to me. I would hope that the law enforcement offiicals in this country, would be better suited than some tv network to stop these crimes from happening. Luckily the ppl in charge of these things where i live are just that.
This doesn't pass the smell test. The men being arrested are charged with attempted sex with a minor. The big problem here is that there is no minor. The decoy is clearly a 13-year old. So they are being charged with an attempted crime against a non existent person!
I am missing something? Whether the person believed they were talking to a minor is not relevant.
It would have been fun to see one of the arrested guys plead "not guilty" and go to trial. That would have been good television.
What in gods name..ARE YOU ALL THIKING???At the end of the day these men got off on the fact that they all new they were talking sexualy to a young underage person!They not only knew this but went over to the house to meet,eat and greet!!!HELLO!? PLEASE dont forget the real and factual picture here.My former fiance was caught in that very operation!No body got hurt in Murphy?Residents you may have not liked it but how many of you have a son or daughter or a young person close to you?BE thankful it wasnt them.The predators you say are being lied to and trapped into these situations?That is the very thing that these so called men think.....NOT only that they are manipultive and compulsive liars,they actually beleive they are right in doing so.Where is the justice I ask?YEA guess let them all go free and do it again?ONLY next time it will be one of our own volunreble loved ones.
Whether "lured" by a decoy, or themselves inviting disaster by initiating overtly sexual "chats" with someone they believe to be underage, these men have no one but themselves to blame for their public shame and ensuing legal problems because they each showed up at the house by choice. I think the show is receiving some negative criticism because many of the men being caught do not fit the popular stereotype of "sexual predators." There have been teachers, a doctor, a rabbi, a fireman and police officer, a man from Homeland Security, engineers, etc. I think that the evidence that such predators come not only from the drug and criminal classes but from mainstream middle class society makes many people feel quite uncomfortable, indeed. Further, to many people, having sex with a teen that appears to be willing to do so, does not fit their definition of a predator (which they read as pedophile)and while they think this is bad judgment, are hesitant to accuse them of a serious crime. I
Any man who would go in pursuit of a young girl, deserves to be prosecuted. If he is "lured" then he chooses to set aside good sense and legal standards in favor of his own desires. I watched the show one time and was amazed. I guess I feel a little radical on this, because I think anyone who harms children, and a 16 year old is a child - regardless of body development, suffers from a heart condition. A dark heart. Good article. I guess if you get enough people to kick up their hills you can get away with anything.
Yeah, but if you read about the lawsuit a former, major worker of the show has put against it, the men are being lied to and trapped into these situations and the online records of conversations are not actually fully kept and the "bait" is going out there and luring them not just being innocent. Look on the other hand how the media promotes sexuality: women to older men, older men to younger women...that show violates rights in my opinion
I saw this too. How upsetting! However, I still think the show was right.