Vigilantes Troll for Pedophiles

zerodamage · Mar 18, 2004, 09:10 PM

This is Excellent. I really like this.

"Last November, a 29-year-old Portland, Oregon, man was cruising the city's Yahoo chat room when he struck up a conversation with a 14-year-old girl using the handle "misspunkgirlie13." The conversation quickly turned to sex.

"i'm 29.. your 14 and adorable," he wrote the girl, who flirted back. He e-mailed her a picture of his penis and a couple of pornographic video clips, then arranged to meet her at her apartment when her mother was out of town.

A few days later, he drove an hour to the girl's home and knocked on the door. When it opened, he found himself face-to-face with two large men -- one wielding a baseball bat and the other, a video camera. They followed him back to his minivan, berating him for soliciting sex with a minor and filming his hasty retreat. "

Full Article: Wired

**MIG-31** · Mar 18, 2004, 09:20 PM

most gratifying too see the offender getting his just desserts.

Quote:

a high-school teacher

it's the pedos in this sort of profession that really worries me the most.

OldBuzzard · Mar 19, 2004, 12:14 AM

Gentlemen,

While I find the pedofile's actions disgusting, I have to say that those 2 guys are just as bad.

This is a nation that follows the rule of law, and from where I sit, I think that all three of them should be sitting in a jail cell somewhere.

The PROPER course of action would have been to log all conversations that took place in the chats, and then turn those over to the PROPER Law Enforcement Officials, so that they could have apprehended him. N

To take the law into your own hands makes you no better than any other criminal.

clicker666 · Mar 19, 2004, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by OldBuzzard
Gentlemen,

While I find the pedofile's actions disgusting, I have to say that those 2 guys are just as bad.

This is a nation that follows the rule of law, and from where I sit, I think that all three of them should be sitting in a jail cell somewhere.

The PROPER course of action would have been to log all conversations that took place in the chats, and then turn those over to the PROPER Law Enforcement Officials, so that they could have apprehended him. N

To take the law into your own hands makes you no better than any other criminal.

That's not the spin I got from reading the article. They didn't beat him, they berated him, and then posted his transcripts, etc. to a national anti-pedofile website. Sounds like they did a good job. And if it was my kids, my little sister or my neice, the baseball bat *would* have been used to beat the guy into a coma. period.

Bicka · Mar 19, 2004, 12:27 AM

Were the 2 guys posing as "misspunkgirlie13" thats the question I want to ask.

OldBuzzard · Mar 19, 2004, 12:34 AM

I'm not sure exactly what the law in Oregon is, but in Ohio, they were at least comitting ASSAULT, and if they DID hit him with the bat it would then escalate to Battery.

Assault is defined as the OFFER to do violence ,whether or not the violence actually occurs, and I would think that any reasonable person would agree that they did that.

While the group's MOTIVES are commendable, some of their ACTIONS are not. Two wrongs do not make a right.

clicker666 · Mar 19, 2004, 12:42 AM

Did you read the whole article? They didn't beat him, they chased him back to his car. The article suggests there might be some legal issues for the vigilantes in terms of posting their info and pics on their sites, but doesn't suggest anywhere that the vigilantes beat the pervs. Besides, what's the guy gonna do? Go to the police station and say, "I went to what I thought was an underage girls home with the intention of having s3x with her and these guys took my picture and chased me to my car."

OldBuzzard · Mar 19, 2004, 01:59 AM

clicker666,

Yes, I did read the whole article, and I still maintain that in the case of the 'confrontation with the baseball bat' that a crime was committed against the PERV. The mere THREAT of violence is a crime (at least in the State of Ohio).

I'm not saying that the perv is totally innocent. In fact we have a city here in Ohio (Xenia) that has been quite successful at catching and PROSECUTING internet pervs that troll the teen chat rooms. It is done PROPERLY, and when the perv shows up, he is confronted by POLICE and arrested. With the way these Vigilantes went about things, there is STILL a perv running loose, and he may be successful in his next attempt.

I think that you are letting your emotions color your view in this case.

Would you feel the same way if the 'Good Citizens' were luring people with offers of bootlegged software, and then confronted them with a baseball bat when they came to 'collect the goods'?

Like I said before. Their motives are commendable, but their actions are not.

zerodamage · Mar 19, 2004, 02:03 AM

There is a difference between someone getting piratted software and molesting a child.

clicker666 · Mar 19, 2004, 02:06 AM

Exactly. A big difference.

Anyhoo, I've said enough on this subject, I'll be quiet before I get a bad name.

Mar 18, 2004, 09:10 PM	#1
zerodamage HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,478 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Vigilantes Troll for Pedophiles This is Excellent. I really like this. "Last November, a 29-year-old Portland, Oregon, man was cruising the city's Yahoo chat room when he struck up a conversation with a 14-year-old girl using the handle "misspunkgirlie13." The conversation quickly turned to sex. "i'm 29.. your 14 and adorable," he wrote the girl, who flirted back. He e-mailed her a picture of his penis and a couple of pornographic video clips, then arranged to meet her at her apartment when her mother was out of town. A few days later, he drove an hour to the girl's home and knocked on the door. When it opened, he found himself face-to-face with two large men -- one wielding a baseball bat and the other, a video camera. They followed him back to his minivan, berating him for soliciting sex with a minor and filming his hasty retreat. " Full Article: Wired

Mar 19, 2004, 12:34 AM	#6
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	I'm not sure exactly what the law in Oregon is, but in Ohio, they were at least comitting ASSAULT, and if they DID hit him with the bat it would then escalate to Battery. Assault is defined as the OFFER to do violence ,whether or not the violence actually occurs, and I would think that any reasonable person would agree that they did that. While the group's MOTIVES are commendable, some of their ACTIONS are not. Two wrongs do not make a right. Last edited by OldBuzzard; Mar 19, 2004 at 01:42 AM.

Mar 19, 2004, 12:14 AM	#3
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Gentlemen, While I find the pedofile's actions disgusting, I have to say that those 2 guys are just as bad. This is a nation that follows the rule of law, and from where I sit, I think that all three of them should be sitting in a jail cell somewhere. The PROPER course of action would have been to log all conversations that took place in the chats, and then turn those over to the PROPER Law Enforcement Officials, so that they could have apprehended him. N To take the law into your own hands makes you no better than any other criminal.

Mar 19, 2004, 12:27 AM	#5
Bicka DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 670 Rep Power: 0	Were the 2 guys posing as "misspunkgirlie13" thats the question I want to ask.

Mar 19, 2004, 12:42 AM	#7
clicker666 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 327 Rep Power: 0	Did you read the whole article? They didn't beat him, they chased him back to his car. The article suggests there might be some legal issues for the vigilantes in terms of posting their info and pics on their sites, but doesn't suggest anywhere that the vigilantes beat the pervs. Besides, what's the guy gonna do? Go to the police station and say, "I went to what I thought was an underage girls home with the intention of having s3x with her and these guys took my picture and chased me to my car."

Mar 19, 2004, 01:59 AM	#8
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	clicker666, Yes, I did read the whole article, and I still maintain that in the case of the 'confrontation with the baseball bat' that a crime was committed against the PERV. The mere THREAT of violence is a crime (at least in the State of Ohio). I'm not saying that the perv is totally innocent. In fact we have a city here in Ohio (Xenia) that has been quite successful at catching and PROSECUTING internet pervs that troll the teen chat rooms. It is done PROPERLY, and when the perv shows up, he is confronted by POLICE and arrested. With the way these Vigilantes went about things, there is STILL a perv running loose, and he may be successful in his next attempt. I think that you are letting your emotions color your view in this case. Would you feel the same way if the 'Good Citizens' were luring people with offers of bootlegged software, and then confronted them with a baseball bat when they came to 'collect the goods'? Like I said before. Their motives are commendable, but their actions are not.

Mar 19, 2004, 02:03 AM	Thread Starter #9
zerodamage HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 3,478 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	There is a difference between someone getting piratted software and molesting a child.

Mar 19, 2004, 02:06 AM	#10
clicker666 DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 327 Rep Power: 0	Exactly. A big difference. Anyhoo, I've said enough on this subject, I'll be quiet before I get a bad name.