GREENSBURG, Pa. — A group in Westmoreland County is rallying to raise concerns about child predators. They say they want to bring awareness to the issue and protect vulnerable children.
The group 814 Pred Hunters was started in Westmoreland County to catch people trying to prey on children online. According to the founder and president, Brian Knepp, the group has been able to help prosecute 67 men in Pennsylvania.
But 306 reportedly remain at large, including six in Westmoreland County.
“We monitor the internet for adults that are predatory against children.” Is that legal? Absolutely, there is nothing illegal about what we do," Knepp said.
Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office provided Channel 11 with this statement:
“The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office is responding to the reports of civilian vigilante groups confronting alleged actors in public places as a result of their online presence. It is the duty of the District Attorney’s Office to lawfully and ethically investigate and prosecute criminal offenses in a court of law.
“Civilian predator catching teams are not trained law enforcement and do not have any legal authority to act as an investigating agency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
“The means of how these vigilante groups are obtaining evidence compromises criminal investigations and any subsequent successful prosecution in a court of law. There are legal and ethical obligations that need to be followed, and we urge concerned citizens to report their suspicions of predatory online activity to their local law enforcement agencies or the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General who has a specialized child predator unit within their agency.
“‘By confronting alleged actors in a public setting, these civilians are jeopardizing their own safety and endangering the lives of responding police officers and innocent bystanders in the process,’ DA Nicole W. Ziccarelli said. ‘We are committed to devoting resources, thoroughly investigating, and prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law to protect our children from alleged predators, but we must do it lawfully to ensure successful prosecution and justice for our victims.’
“Our message is clear to civilian vigilante groups and other predator poacher groups like them: If you continue to operate as decoys in an effort to lure a suspected child predator to commit a crime, turn your material(s) over to a credible law enforcement agency for a proper investigation that is viable for a successful prosecution, prior to confronting the alleged suspect.
“The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office continues to discourage civilians and vigilante groups from conducting their own investigations because it does not conform to statute and has not been upheld in a court of law in Westmoreland County.
“Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday echoed the same sentiment and released the following statement: ‘We encourage anyone with information about a person harming or attempting to harm children, to contact law enforcement and provide that information. Building criminal cases resulting in charges against alleged child abusers is a complex process that is best handled by professional investigators. Also, we are very concerned that physical ‘confrontations’ with individuals believed to be child predators creates an unsafe environment for all parties, including other people in the area. We discourage anyone from physically confronting someone they believe has committed a crime or attempted to commit a crime.’
“Within the last year, Common Pleas Judges in Westmoreland County have suppressed evidence involving vigilante groups resulting in a dismissal of charges and eliminating further prosecution.
“In a recent court order, a Common Pleas Judge referenced an attempt under section 901 does not support the commission of a crime. If the intent to commit an act is not characterized as a crime by the laws of the subject jurisdiction and therefore could not be the basis of a criminal charge and conviction. The order went onto say: ‘The results of this case likely would have been different had the individuals from ‘Predator Catchers PA’ reported the alleged sexual communications to law enforcement as soon as possible rather than waiting until after they confronted defendant. The results would have been different had law enforcement conducted an independent investigation prior to seeking the initial search warrant in this case.’ The District Attorney’s Office has contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement and provided information concerning the recent incident, and is actively cooperating with ICE.
“The statute, as described below, is PA 6318 Unlawful Contact with a Minor.
“(a) Offense defined.--A person commits an offense if the person is intentionally in contact with a minor, or a law enforcement officer acting in the performance of duties who has assumed the identity of a minor or of another individual having direct contact with children, as defined under 23 Pa.C.S. § 6303(a)."
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