1 00:00:10,911 --> 00:00:13,914 [Narrator] Next, Detective Tony Godwin 2 00:00:14,114 --> 00:00:16,750 tracks down one of the most dangerous predators 3 00:00:16,817 --> 00:00:18,218 he's ever encountered. 4 00:00:18,385 --> 00:00:21,588 If that doesn't scream kidnapping, predator, 5 00:00:21,655 --> 00:00:22,990 I don't know what it does scream. 6 00:00:29,263 --> 00:00:33,267 [Narrator] Then, Tony teams up with the FBI to go on a manhunt 7 00:00:33,467 --> 00:00:36,603 for a predator who wants to have sex with a ten-year-old. 8 00:00:46,780 --> 00:00:48,916 [Narrator] And later, a cunning predator 9 00:00:48,982 --> 00:00:50,984 uses role play to hide his desire 10 00:00:51,184 --> 00:00:53,787 to meet up with a 14-year-old girl. 11 00:00:56,290 --> 00:00:57,991 [Officer] Get on the ground! 12 00:00:58,191 --> 00:00:59,593 [Narrator] A team of police professionals 13 00:00:59,660 --> 00:01:01,828 in North Dallas has one goal: 14 00:01:01,929 --> 00:01:03,096 [Officer] Get out of the car! 15 00:01:03,263 --> 00:01:05,432 [Narrator] take down online predators 16 00:01:05,499 --> 00:01:07,834 before they harm a real child. 17 00:01:08,468 --> 00:01:11,838 -Child predators are everywhere. -[Narrator] Online predators 18 00:01:12,039 --> 00:01:15,475 pose the biggest danger to America's children today. 19 00:01:15,676 --> 00:01:18,245 Kids are being targeted at an alarming rate. 20 00:01:19,179 --> 00:01:21,114 [Narrator] This team is opening its case files 21 00:01:21,181 --> 00:01:24,551 for the first time to show you how it tracks them down. 22 00:01:26,586 --> 00:01:27,955 [Tony] All right, he's coming this way. 23 00:01:28,021 --> 00:01:32,192 [Narrator] And brings them to justice by any means necessary. 24 00:01:32,626 --> 00:01:34,027 [Officer] Get in the car. 25 00:01:35,062 --> 00:01:37,064 [Narrator] This is Detective Tony Godwin, 26 00:01:37,264 --> 00:01:41,034 and his team is the Predator Hunters . 27 00:01:42,035 --> 00:01:45,238 [Narrator] It's May 2022, and Tony is on the hunt 28 00:01:45,305 --> 00:01:47,307 for one of the most depraved predators 29 00:01:47,507 --> 00:01:49,076 he's ever come across. 30 00:01:50,177 --> 00:01:52,746 [Tony] Thank God it's me he sent it to 31 00:01:52,913 --> 00:01:54,581 and not a real 13-year-old kid. 32 00:01:54,748 --> 00:01:58,151 It's disturbing on every level imaginable. 33 00:01:59,252 --> 00:02:01,154 [Narrator] But when he attempts to arrest him, 34 00:02:01,221 --> 00:02:03,457 the predator throws Tony a curveball. 35 00:02:05,626 --> 00:02:08,829 [Tony] The fact that we have to move from plan A to plan B, 36 00:02:09,029 --> 00:02:10,831 it elevates the risk level. 37 00:02:11,465 --> 00:02:13,433 [Narrator] And when it's time to face justice, 38 00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:16,903 he lays out his crimes in a letter to the victim's family. 39 00:02:17,437 --> 00:02:20,040 [Tony] It's rare that I pull this card and play it. 40 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,944 This is nothing but an evidence slam dunk for the case. 41 00:02:25,479 --> 00:02:26,680 [Tony] Juan Menchu. 42 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,316 This guy looks like a normal guy in his 30s, 43 00:02:29,416 --> 00:02:32,552 but evil hides in plain sight sometimes. 44 00:02:32,953 --> 00:02:35,856 This dude sent a video of himself masturbating 45 00:02:36,023 --> 00:02:37,824 to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl 46 00:02:38,025 --> 00:02:41,094 while she was in school. Unbelievable. 47 00:02:42,229 --> 00:02:44,898 My two colleagues, Tavie Guthrie and Norma Gonzalez, 48 00:02:45,065 --> 00:02:46,833 they helped me take this guy down. 49 00:02:51,471 --> 00:02:53,674 [Tony] On May 17th of 2022, 50 00:02:53,874 --> 00:02:57,277 I began an online undercover proactive investigation 51 00:02:57,344 --> 00:02:59,880 on an application called MocoSpace. 52 00:03:00,747 --> 00:03:02,949 MocoSpace is a social media platform. 53 00:03:03,150 --> 00:03:06,753 It allows users to share messages privately 54 00:03:06,853 --> 00:03:08,388 or in a group. 55 00:03:09,056 --> 00:03:11,224 [Tony] So I started off by making a MocoSpace profile. 56 00:03:11,425 --> 00:03:14,461 I set up the girl named Katie. She's 13 years old. 57 00:03:14,661 --> 00:03:16,897 I use a profile picture of one of my colleagues 58 00:03:17,064 --> 00:03:18,432 who's given me consent and permission 59 00:03:18,632 --> 00:03:21,234 to use pictures from when she was that age. 60 00:03:21,334 --> 00:03:23,303 I can't show that photo because it's part 61 00:03:23,470 --> 00:03:25,839 of other ongoing investigations right now, 62 00:03:25,906 --> 00:03:28,075 which could be compromised if I released it. 63 00:03:29,109 --> 00:03:33,080 13 is a specific age that I picked because in Texas, 64 00:03:33,180 --> 00:03:36,950 if you commit a crime online against a child that's under 14, 65 00:03:37,017 --> 00:03:38,418 it's an enhancement. 66 00:03:38,585 --> 00:03:40,954 It moves it from a third degree to a second degree felony, 67 00:03:41,021 --> 00:03:44,391 which just gives somebody more time in prison if convicted. 68 00:03:45,225 --> 00:03:48,028 Once I have the profile established, I get tons, 69 00:03:48,095 --> 00:03:50,597 I mean, probably close to 100 friend requests. 70 00:03:50,664 --> 00:03:53,433 I get instant messages coming to me. 71 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:55,202 One of them kind of stood out. 72 00:03:55,268 --> 00:03:58,004 His name was Diablito, Little Devil, 73 00:03:58,071 --> 00:04:00,040 and that really caught my attention. 74 00:04:00,707 --> 00:04:02,309 "You're so beautiful." 75 00:04:02,876 --> 00:04:04,478 It's a huge flag for me. 76 00:04:04,878 --> 00:04:08,081 I go to Diablito's profile to document that for evidence. 77 00:04:08,148 --> 00:04:11,318 It says he's a 31-year-old male from Austin, Texas. 78 00:04:11,384 --> 00:04:12,953 On initial thought, I'm thinking, 79 00:04:13,153 --> 00:04:14,387 hey, he looks like a normal dude. 80 00:04:14,454 --> 00:04:17,591 I wanted to ensure that he remembered I am a kid. 81 00:04:18,658 --> 00:04:19,793 I send him a message, 82 00:04:19,993 --> 00:04:22,095 "Hey, I'm almost 14. Is that okay?" 83 00:04:24,131 --> 00:04:25,599 And he replies back, 84 00:04:25,665 --> 00:04:27,434 "It's okay with you, it's okay with me. 85 00:04:27,634 --> 00:04:30,270 We don't do anything bad. We just talk." 86 00:04:30,637 --> 00:04:33,273 The behavior itself is super shady. 87 00:04:33,473 --> 00:04:36,877 This guy clearly knows he's talking to a 13-year-old. 88 00:04:37,711 --> 00:04:40,480 He's clearly living up to his name, The Little Devil. 89 00:04:42,516 --> 00:04:44,351 He then says, "How about you text me?" 90 00:04:44,551 --> 00:04:47,354 And he gives me a phone number. Like, boom, just like that. 91 00:04:47,554 --> 00:04:49,256 This is really predatory behavior. 92 00:04:53,426 --> 00:04:55,629 Diablito sends me a message. 93 00:04:55,829 --> 00:04:59,466 "Good morning. It's me, Vin, or Diablito from Moco." 94 00:04:59,666 --> 00:05:00,867 I've got a phone number. 95 00:05:00,934 --> 00:05:03,703 I've got a potential first name or a portion of a first name. 96 00:05:03,937 --> 00:05:06,306 Things are rolling really quickly, and I like it. 97 00:05:06,473 --> 00:05:08,642 I have my analyst, Tavie Guthrie, 98 00:05:08,708 --> 00:05:11,144 to help me dig in and figure out who this guy is. 99 00:05:11,978 --> 00:05:14,314 It's amazing that Tony's been able to get me this phone number 100 00:05:14,414 --> 00:05:15,582 as fast as he has. 101 00:05:15,749 --> 00:05:18,351 So now I've plugged this number into some of our databases, 102 00:05:18,552 --> 00:05:20,720 and it's given me a lot of information back. 103 00:05:21,254 --> 00:05:24,558 [Narrator] Tavie's research reveals Diablito's real name, 104 00:05:24,824 --> 00:05:27,661 Juan Vicente Menchu Ajpacaja. 105 00:05:28,061 --> 00:05:32,432 So now we know Vin's full name and date of birth, 9/20 of '90. 106 00:05:32,666 --> 00:05:35,402 And we also found out that he lives about 180 miles 107 00:05:35,468 --> 00:05:38,205 outside of Dallas in Austin, Texas. 108 00:05:40,073 --> 00:05:44,277 He also does not have a vehicle registered to his name. 109 00:05:44,911 --> 00:05:47,147 I'm going to need to let Tony know about that. 110 00:05:50,984 --> 00:05:52,319 So over the next couple of weeks, 111 00:05:52,385 --> 00:05:55,589 Vin and I, we are texting it back and forth a whole bunch, 112 00:05:55,789 --> 00:05:58,258 and his texts are getting more and more sexualized. 113 00:05:58,425 --> 00:05:59,993 He sends me this message. 114 00:06:00,193 --> 00:06:03,697 "You just make me feel so horny right now." 115 00:06:03,864 --> 00:06:05,465 Huh? What? 116 00:06:08,435 --> 00:06:09,636 He said, "I just imagine 117 00:06:09,703 --> 00:06:12,672 how I'm going to kiss your body and do it so slowly." 118 00:06:12,939 --> 00:06:14,541 What a romantic, huh? 119 00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:17,444 He asked me, "Where are you at right now?" 120 00:06:17,510 --> 00:06:19,279 And I tell him, "I'm in class." 121 00:06:19,713 --> 00:06:22,315 Within seconds of telling him I'm in class, 122 00:06:22,415 --> 00:06:25,752 he sends me a video of himself masturbating. 123 00:06:27,220 --> 00:06:31,791 Thank God it's me he sent it to and not a real 13-year-old kid. 124 00:06:31,992 --> 00:06:35,829 I mean, it's disturbing on every level imaginable. 125 00:06:36,863 --> 00:06:39,900 I could pursue with an arrest warrant, 126 00:06:40,066 --> 00:06:45,005 but in order to get him across the line with a higher charge, 127 00:06:45,071 --> 00:06:47,240 I need him to arrange a meeting in person 128 00:06:47,307 --> 00:06:48,675 for a sexual relationship. 129 00:06:48,875 --> 00:06:51,544 And when that happens, I need to have a ton 130 00:06:51,711 --> 00:06:54,948 of my people behind me to get him in custody and arrest him. 131 00:07:00,353 --> 00:07:01,988 I mean, a little less than three weeks later, 132 00:07:02,188 --> 00:07:04,190 I get a message back from Menchu. 133 00:07:10,463 --> 00:07:14,834 [Tony] And what happens next is he says, "How about Monday?" 134 00:07:16,469 --> 00:07:19,105 As soon as he gets here, I'm going to lock his butt up. 135 00:07:21,942 --> 00:07:24,678 [Narrator] Tony brings in Detective Norma Gonzalez 136 00:07:24,778 --> 00:07:26,680 for the takedown operation. 137 00:07:27,747 --> 00:07:29,282 It's always been a passion of mine 138 00:07:29,349 --> 00:07:30,517 since I was, like, five years old, 139 00:07:30,583 --> 00:07:31,952 wanting to be in law enforcement. 140 00:07:32,152 --> 00:07:35,188 I feel the satisfaction of working those kind of cases 141 00:07:35,288 --> 00:07:37,590 is just the victims. They don't have a voice. 142 00:07:37,657 --> 00:07:40,593 They're the most defenseless victims that are out there. 143 00:07:41,328 --> 00:07:43,797 I'm usually part of Tony's takedown team. 144 00:07:43,863 --> 00:07:46,099 And he posts us in different streets 145 00:07:46,266 --> 00:07:47,834 around the apartment complex. 146 00:07:48,068 --> 00:07:50,303 Once the vehicle come in the apartment complex, 147 00:07:50,470 --> 00:07:52,005 we come in behind them. 148 00:07:52,072 --> 00:07:55,308 We don't know what he's driving, but we know what he looks like. 149 00:07:55,508 --> 00:07:57,444 So that's kind of what we're looking for. 150 00:07:57,510 --> 00:07:58,678 The person driving the vehicle, 151 00:07:58,878 --> 00:08:01,748 is this our offender coming into the apartment complex? 152 00:08:09,422 --> 00:08:13,760 [Tony] 7:58 a.m. This is a investigation 153 00:08:13,827 --> 00:08:15,595 of online solicitation of a minor. 154 00:08:15,662 --> 00:08:17,464 A scheduled meet has been set by 155 00:08:17,664 --> 00:08:19,833 the subject of this investigation, 156 00:08:20,033 --> 00:08:23,069 Juan Vicente Menchu. 157 00:08:24,237 --> 00:08:25,672 [Tony] Biggest hurdle we have 158 00:08:25,872 --> 00:08:28,274 is Menchu does not have a vehicle registered 159 00:08:28,341 --> 00:08:30,110 in his name that we have found. 160 00:08:30,310 --> 00:08:33,480 And that presents really big issues for us. 161 00:08:33,747 --> 00:08:36,549 We are really, like, on a wing and a prayer. 162 00:08:36,750 --> 00:08:38,351 Everybody's looking. 163 00:08:38,551 --> 00:08:40,620 Everybody's calling out different vehicles. 164 00:08:40,787 --> 00:08:42,389 It's so chaotic. 165 00:08:42,489 --> 00:08:46,026 There's far more radio traffic. It's a lot to process. 166 00:08:46,426 --> 00:08:47,894 [Tony] We're at a little bit of a disadvantage, 167 00:08:48,061 --> 00:08:51,798 but we have covert units all over. 168 00:08:52,532 --> 00:08:54,200 [Tony] Close by are more than a dozen 169 00:08:54,401 --> 00:08:56,302 uniformed and plainclothes officers. 170 00:08:56,469 --> 00:08:59,239 But when he's minutes away, he shifts the goalpost. 171 00:09:00,306 --> 00:09:01,641 [Tony] He just texted, 172 00:09:01,708 --> 00:09:04,077 indicating he was 11 minutes away 173 00:09:04,144 --> 00:09:07,480 and for who he believes to be a 13-year-old female 174 00:09:07,547 --> 00:09:12,352 to meet him at the gas station next door to the apartments. 175 00:09:13,787 --> 00:09:15,588 [Tony] It's a nightmare scenario. 176 00:09:15,655 --> 00:09:19,225 The fact that we have to move from plan A to plan B, 177 00:09:19,426 --> 00:09:21,428 it elevates the risk level. 178 00:09:21,494 --> 00:09:24,097 This predator is one slippery customer. 179 00:09:24,264 --> 00:09:25,298 He could go there, 180 00:09:25,465 --> 00:09:28,635 he could see someone, a child, that looks like Katie, 181 00:09:28,735 --> 00:09:31,704 which really presents a very huge problem. 182 00:09:32,072 --> 00:09:33,306 He could see the cops coming in 183 00:09:33,473 --> 00:09:35,875 to get set up for the potential meet with him. 184 00:09:35,942 --> 00:09:37,076 There's so many variables 185 00:09:37,177 --> 00:09:39,279 I have to think about and consider. 186 00:09:43,416 --> 00:09:45,618 [Narrator] Tony and his takedown team redeploy 187 00:09:45,785 --> 00:09:49,789 to a gas station to intercept child predator Juan Menchu. 188 00:09:50,890 --> 00:09:54,394 One problem, he won't tell them what car he's driving. 189 00:09:55,495 --> 00:09:57,230 How do we know where to put people? 190 00:09:57,297 --> 00:09:58,998 How do we know who to go approach? 191 00:09:59,132 --> 00:10:00,366 How do we know when to move in 192 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:02,268 if we don't know what we're looking for? 193 00:10:03,303 --> 00:10:05,205 Menchu sends me this message. 194 00:10:06,072 --> 00:10:09,809 I ask him, yet again, "What color car?" 195 00:10:16,149 --> 00:10:17,116 I'm flipping out at this point. 196 00:10:17,217 --> 00:10:18,618 I'm wondering, is this guy ever going to tell me 197 00:10:18,785 --> 00:10:20,186 what the hell kind of car he's in? 198 00:10:23,623 --> 00:10:26,659 Finally, he comes back and tells me he's in a white car. 199 00:10:26,793 --> 00:10:28,461 Why does that have to be so difficult? 200 00:10:29,696 --> 00:10:32,098 [Norma] Now, knowing what the vehicle looks like 201 00:10:32,232 --> 00:10:33,766 gives us more an advantage. 202 00:10:33,900 --> 00:10:36,102 We sit in our vehicle, try not to be seen, 203 00:10:36,269 --> 00:10:38,705 and we just wait for them to give us the okay of, 204 00:10:38,872 --> 00:10:41,207 you know, hey, we have eyes on them, everybody move in. 205 00:10:41,808 --> 00:10:45,278 [Tony] So right before me, as Katie, is about to walk across 206 00:10:45,378 --> 00:10:47,914 from the complex to this gas station, 207 00:10:48,047 --> 00:10:53,286 Menchu sends the creepiest message ever and says, 208 00:10:53,419 --> 00:10:56,856 "I'll be at the gas pump. The door's unlocked. 209 00:10:58,024 --> 00:11:00,827 "I need you to get in the back seat and cover up 210 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:02,896 with a jacket or blanket that's in the back." 211 00:11:04,063 --> 00:11:07,100 If that doesn't scream kidnapping, predator, 212 00:11:07,233 --> 00:11:08,434 I don't know what it does scream. 213 00:11:08,568 --> 00:11:10,236 The weirdest, bizarre request 214 00:11:10,336 --> 00:11:12,705 I've ever gotten from a predator, ever. 215 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,909 I give the order to take him down. 216 00:11:28,521 --> 00:11:30,623 [Tony] My boss hands me Menchu's cell phone. 217 00:11:34,294 --> 00:11:36,229 [Tony] That phone is really important in this case, 218 00:11:36,296 --> 00:11:39,499 because that's going to hold all the chats between he and Katie. 219 00:11:56,616 --> 00:11:59,619 [Tony] When a motel key is found by the arresting officer, 220 00:12:00,253 --> 00:12:02,388 you could pretty much glean from that that his intentions 221 00:12:02,488 --> 00:12:05,458 the whole time was to take Katie back to a hotel 222 00:12:05,692 --> 00:12:08,261 to perform whatever sex acts he had envisioned. 223 00:12:14,434 --> 00:12:18,037 [Tony] All right. We met out there at the scene for a moment. 224 00:12:18,238 --> 00:12:21,507 My name's Tony. I'll give you my card. 225 00:12:21,908 --> 00:12:24,677 Why do you think you're sitting here today? 226 00:12:29,482 --> 00:12:30,750 What's her name? What's the girl's name? 227 00:12:33,386 --> 00:12:34,821 But you don't remember her name? 228 00:12:38,224 --> 00:12:39,626 Do you know how old she was? 229 00:12:40,493 --> 00:12:41,661 [Tony] You sure? 230 00:12:43,730 --> 00:12:46,032 What if I told you she's 13? 231 00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:48,534 [Tony] She's 13. 232 00:12:50,503 --> 00:12:51,604 Do you remember that? 233 00:12:54,107 --> 00:12:57,076 I probably know more about this than you think I do, 234 00:12:57,176 --> 00:12:59,445 because the way it was reported to us, 235 00:12:59,579 --> 00:13:03,049 like, I've seen a lot of the conversations that you had. 236 00:13:03,182 --> 00:13:04,617 Did you send her any nude pictures? 237 00:13:05,852 --> 00:13:08,421 Did you ever send her a picture of your privates? 238 00:13:10,857 --> 00:13:12,025 [Tony] You sure? 239 00:13:12,558 --> 00:13:17,897 [Tony] Okay. So, some of the communications that I saw, 240 00:13:18,064 --> 00:13:21,167 you talked about, obviously, having sex with her. 241 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,275 You told her you didn't want to? 242 00:13:30,743 --> 00:13:32,345 Oh, you want to, but you don't want to. 243 00:13:35,815 --> 00:13:37,050 [Tony] He acknowledges that, 244 00:13:37,183 --> 00:13:39,686 yes, he talked to this child about having sex. 245 00:13:40,186 --> 00:13:42,989 I did, of course, I wanted to do it, but I'm nervous, I'm scared. 246 00:13:43,089 --> 00:13:44,190 Yeah, you're scared. 247 00:13:44,257 --> 00:13:46,259 If we hadn't showed up and that girl would have 248 00:13:46,426 --> 00:13:48,561 got in the car, you would have taken her to the hotel? 249 00:13:49,929 --> 00:13:51,664 Well, be honest now. 250 00:13:56,869 --> 00:13:58,037 I have a hard time believing that, 251 00:13:58,104 --> 00:13:59,706 but you're telling me 252 00:13:59,939 --> 00:14:01,207 that wasn't going to happen today? 253 00:14:02,075 --> 00:14:03,710 If the police hadn't come in and she showed up? 254 00:14:05,645 --> 00:14:07,947 I don't know, man. I have a hard time believing that. 255 00:14:12,151 --> 00:14:13,886 At the end of the day, I think he would have 256 00:14:14,020 --> 00:14:15,588 happily followed through with his promises 257 00:14:16,055 --> 00:14:17,924 had the cops not scooped him up. 258 00:14:18,057 --> 00:14:20,860 Now, I do something kind of unusual. 259 00:14:21,027 --> 00:14:25,465 If you could say something or write a letter to her parents 260 00:14:25,598 --> 00:14:28,668 to say anything, is that something you'd like to do? 261 00:14:29,535 --> 00:14:30,636 [Tony] You wouldn't do it? 262 00:14:31,104 --> 00:14:33,806 [Tony] I mean, I can give you a paper and a pen 263 00:14:33,940 --> 00:14:35,508 and you can write something out if you want. 264 00:14:35,675 --> 00:14:38,344 It's rare that I pull this card and play it, 265 00:14:38,511 --> 00:14:40,546 but I do because of the way 266 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:43,516 the interview was going and his back and forth, 267 00:14:43,616 --> 00:14:46,386 you know, BS excuses for things. 268 00:14:48,221 --> 00:14:50,623 I am surprised that he agrees to do it. 269 00:14:51,257 --> 00:14:52,658 This is nothing but 270 00:14:52,792 --> 00:14:57,029 an evidence-based slam dunk for the case. 271 00:14:58,297 --> 00:15:00,299 In summary, this is what it says. 272 00:15:00,633 --> 00:15:03,269 "Hello, my name is Juan. The reason for this letter 273 00:15:03,402 --> 00:15:05,905 "is to apologize for inappropriate thoughts 274 00:15:06,038 --> 00:15:08,508 "I have with children. I'm very happy 275 00:15:08,641 --> 00:15:10,910 "that you guys are there to care for your daughter. 276 00:15:11,911 --> 00:15:15,348 I ask for your forgiveness to be here in this situation." 277 00:15:23,823 --> 00:15:26,259 After a forensic review of his device, 278 00:15:26,392 --> 00:15:28,194 we found no CSAM, 279 00:15:28,294 --> 00:15:30,830 and no other communications with other children. 280 00:15:31,197 --> 00:15:34,167 I was really not pleased with the sentence. 281 00:15:34,534 --> 00:15:37,436 I felt like he deserved far more time. 282 00:15:37,537 --> 00:15:40,273 I have to sort of let it go and release it, 283 00:15:40,406 --> 00:15:43,476 because I'm looking for the next guy to put in prison. 284 00:15:44,310 --> 00:15:45,878 [Narrator] January 2023, 285 00:15:46,179 --> 00:15:48,414 a predator tells an undercover FBI agent 286 00:15:48,548 --> 00:15:51,184 that he wants to have sex with the agent's daughter. 287 00:15:52,218 --> 00:15:54,086 The fact that he's interested in sex 288 00:15:54,220 --> 00:15:55,388 with a ten-year-old child 289 00:15:55,521 --> 00:15:59,592 catapults this guy to one of the highest risks possible. 290 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:02,195 [Narrator] When Tony catches up with him... 291 00:16:06,532 --> 00:16:08,668 [Narrator] ...he pushes to get to the truth. 292 00:16:16,375 --> 00:16:19,445 Justin Peters, this case, this one really stuck with me. 293 00:16:19,579 --> 00:16:20,947 This guy said he regrets 294 00:16:21,113 --> 00:16:24,617 kind of going into these online forums, yet he was there 295 00:16:24,784 --> 00:16:27,386 to engage in a sex act with a ten-year-old. 296 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:28,821 A ten-year-old. 297 00:16:29,455 --> 00:16:31,190 Thanks to the work of a special agent 298 00:16:31,290 --> 00:16:32,859 in Philadelphia who made a referral, 299 00:16:33,025 --> 00:16:34,827 Jen and I were able to track this guy down 300 00:16:34,961 --> 00:16:37,763 and stop him before he acted with a real kid. 301 00:16:44,337 --> 00:16:47,006 It's January, 2023. This case begins 302 00:16:47,139 --> 00:16:49,709 when FBI Special Agent Jennifer Mullican reaches out. 303 00:16:49,909 --> 00:16:51,077 -Hi Tony. -Hey superstar, how are you? 304 00:16:51,177 --> 00:16:52,445 I'm good. 305 00:16:54,313 --> 00:16:56,048 [Jen] So this is a lead that was sent to me 306 00:16:56,182 --> 00:16:57,884 from an agent in Philadelphia. 307 00:16:58,551 --> 00:17:00,786 He was an undercover persona on Kik. 308 00:17:01,721 --> 00:17:04,924 [Tony] Kik is a social media platform for mobile phones only 309 00:17:05,057 --> 00:17:08,828 and it is littered with predatory types. 310 00:17:08,961 --> 00:17:10,897 Not just in a chatting realm, 311 00:17:11,063 --> 00:17:13,399 but in a child sex abuse material 312 00:17:13,532 --> 00:17:15,568 being openly shared and traded. 313 00:17:16,068 --> 00:17:18,371 [Jen] So our undercover agent was a dad offering up 314 00:17:18,504 --> 00:17:20,806 -his ten-year-old daughter. -[Tony] Oh, dirty dad. 315 00:17:20,940 --> 00:17:23,342 Offering up a child we know sounds shocking and sickening, 316 00:17:23,509 --> 00:17:25,011 but it does happen. 317 00:17:25,945 --> 00:17:27,647 [Tony] That's a ploy we use and when it works, 318 00:17:27,780 --> 00:17:29,916 it pays off with dividends. 319 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,989 [Narrator] Tony and Jen analyze the Kik conversation 320 00:17:37,056 --> 00:17:41,327 between an undercover FBI agent and a suspected child predator. 321 00:17:42,361 --> 00:17:44,630 This user is xpunk-trashx. 322 00:17:45,464 --> 00:17:46,832 Pretty sick one. 323 00:17:46,999 --> 00:17:49,168 Our undercover agent was a dad offering up 324 00:17:49,235 --> 00:17:52,638 his daughter and xpunk-trashx jumped on it. 325 00:17:52,805 --> 00:17:54,006 In a room or a group or something? 326 00:17:54,073 --> 00:17:55,174 -It was a group chat. -Oh, okay. 327 00:17:55,274 --> 00:17:57,109 Then they transitioned to one-to-one chat. 328 00:17:57,476 --> 00:17:58,678 Oh, so that means it's going to be 329 00:17:58,744 --> 00:18:01,681 really, really horrible stuff. Files, I guess, were exchanged? 330 00:18:01,747 --> 00:18:03,049 Files were exchanged. 331 00:18:03,115 --> 00:18:05,751 The first group that they were in was Lolita Caesars, 332 00:18:05,918 --> 00:18:07,320 and then they transitioned. 333 00:18:07,386 --> 00:18:10,156 Oh, look at that hashtag. "MapCPKids." 334 00:18:10,222 --> 00:18:12,124 Man, I know where this is going. 335 00:18:12,425 --> 00:18:15,528 In the child exploitation world, MAP stands for... 336 00:18:15,628 --> 00:18:16,829 minor attracted person. 337 00:18:17,029 --> 00:18:21,033 And Lolita is representative of a little sexualized girl. 338 00:18:22,001 --> 00:18:25,404 They create these terms to avoid detection 339 00:18:25,471 --> 00:18:27,173 from not only the platform, 340 00:18:27,273 --> 00:18:29,709 to also avoiding detection by law enforcement. 341 00:18:30,509 --> 00:18:33,012 So our undercover posts in the group chat, 342 00:18:33,112 --> 00:18:35,881 and then he's immediately contacted by xpunk-trashx. 343 00:18:35,982 --> 00:18:37,116 And they transition 344 00:18:37,183 --> 00:18:39,085 to one-to-one chat messaging with each other. 345 00:18:39,185 --> 00:18:40,753 "So you have stuff with your daughter? 346 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,022 That's pretty hot, not going to lie." 347 00:18:43,189 --> 00:18:46,158 Our undercover says, "To clarify, I don't keep it. 348 00:18:46,225 --> 00:18:47,994 I let others bang while I film." 349 00:18:48,628 --> 00:18:51,030 Offering up a child we know sounds shocking and sickening, 350 00:18:51,230 --> 00:18:52,665 but it does happen. 351 00:18:52,999 --> 00:18:54,600 [Tony] Remember, this undercover officer 352 00:18:54,667 --> 00:18:56,202 is playing a role. 353 00:18:56,469 --> 00:18:58,871 It's a tactic that works to find predators. 354 00:18:59,271 --> 00:19:02,041 [Jen] trash-punk says "I'd love to see you or be involved. 355 00:19:02,241 --> 00:19:04,076 How young is she?" 356 00:19:05,878 --> 00:19:07,480 And our undercover says 10. 357 00:19:07,847 --> 00:19:09,482 How young is your daughter? 358 00:19:09,548 --> 00:19:11,183 I guess that's a pretty telling thing 359 00:19:11,384 --> 00:19:13,786 on what he's looking for or wanting to do. 360 00:19:13,986 --> 00:19:15,354 So what comes next is, 361 00:19:16,389 --> 00:19:18,591 "If you're legit and near Philly, it's all good." 362 00:19:20,026 --> 00:19:23,195 And then that's when xpunk lets him know that he's in Texas. 363 00:19:23,429 --> 00:19:25,431 I've got to get this guy identified. 364 00:19:27,199 --> 00:19:29,468 [Narrator] Tony scours the chat transcripts for clues 365 00:19:29,635 --> 00:19:32,471 that can reveal the identity of xpunk-trashx. 366 00:19:33,305 --> 00:19:36,242 [Tony] The FBI agent, he asked punk-trash to verify. 367 00:19:39,245 --> 00:19:43,749 Verification when you're in a group means you have to 368 00:19:43,949 --> 00:19:46,385 upload some sort of contraband 369 00:19:46,585 --> 00:19:49,355 to be validated as legit and not law enforcement 370 00:19:49,422 --> 00:19:52,625 before you're able to see and download 371 00:19:52,825 --> 00:19:55,227 additional content offered by other members. 372 00:19:55,761 --> 00:19:59,065 So the agent is expecting CSAM, but that's not what he gets. 373 00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:02,601 He sends a photo of himself thinking that'll verify. 374 00:20:03,302 --> 00:20:06,238 It kind of tells me this is probably our real guy. 375 00:20:06,806 --> 00:20:08,374 As things stand right now, 376 00:20:08,474 --> 00:20:11,477 this guy really hasn't committed an offense yet. 377 00:20:11,944 --> 00:20:13,479 And so the agent needs to make sure 378 00:20:13,546 --> 00:20:17,116 that this guy is the predator that he thinks he probably is. 379 00:20:18,317 --> 00:20:21,153 And so he's like, "I don't want to see a picture of your face." 380 00:20:21,587 --> 00:20:24,156 "I want you to verify the usual way." 381 00:20:24,223 --> 00:20:25,825 "Think of the group that you're in." 382 00:20:27,827 --> 00:20:30,396 punk-trash sends four images 383 00:20:30,596 --> 00:20:34,233 of very, very graphic child sex abuse material. 384 00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:37,803 I mean, really young stuff, toddler age. Horrible. 385 00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:40,840 Under our penal code in Texas, that's a felony. 386 00:20:43,075 --> 00:20:45,411 What the agent does next is really smart. 387 00:20:46,479 --> 00:20:49,415 He asks punk-trash if he's ever played in real life, 388 00:20:49,515 --> 00:20:52,752 which means, have you done a sexual offense with a real kid? 389 00:20:55,921 --> 00:20:57,723 And punk-trash says he has. 390 00:20:57,823 --> 00:21:00,159 He's done something with a 14-year-old boy. 391 00:21:02,762 --> 00:21:07,233 That's the most crushing blow that could be given to me. 392 00:21:07,867 --> 00:21:10,035 Somebody had an opportunity to prevent that 393 00:21:10,236 --> 00:21:11,470 and failed to do so. 394 00:21:11,670 --> 00:21:14,640 And as a result, a real kid is victimized. 395 00:21:17,109 --> 00:21:20,112 The FBI agent, he sends a subpoena to Kik, 396 00:21:20,312 --> 00:21:21,680 to get the subscriber information 397 00:21:21,881 --> 00:21:23,082 on the punk-trash account. 398 00:21:24,083 --> 00:21:26,552 The Kik return comes back with an email address. 399 00:21:26,719 --> 00:21:29,088 I do an open source search on the email address 400 00:21:29,188 --> 00:21:30,523 from the Kik return, 401 00:21:30,623 --> 00:21:34,827 and I discover a Discord page and a Spotify account, 402 00:21:35,027 --> 00:21:38,264 and both of those are under the name Justin Robert Peters. 403 00:21:38,464 --> 00:21:40,633 Now I've got a name tied to punk-trash. 404 00:21:42,835 --> 00:21:45,638 I run that name through a police database, 405 00:21:45,804 --> 00:21:47,406 I come up with a physical address 406 00:21:47,473 --> 00:21:49,041 and driver's license photo. 407 00:21:49,241 --> 00:21:52,011 And that photo compared to the uploaded selfie 408 00:21:52,111 --> 00:21:55,414 sent to the agent in Philadelphia are a 100% match. 409 00:21:58,417 --> 00:22:01,153 In my mind, this guy is an immediate danger to children. 410 00:22:01,754 --> 00:22:04,590 And now I have an idea of where he lays his head at night. 411 00:22:10,229 --> 00:22:12,364 [Narrator] 5:30 a.m. Tony and his team 412 00:22:12,464 --> 00:22:15,601 prepare to raid the home of Justin Peters. 413 00:22:22,474 --> 00:22:24,076 [Narrator] They must be ready to react 414 00:22:24,243 --> 00:22:26,078 if the situation turns volatile. 415 00:22:32,384 --> 00:22:34,720 -[knock on door] -[dog barking] 416 00:22:38,757 --> 00:22:41,393 We never know what we're going to encounter 417 00:22:41,594 --> 00:22:43,195 on the opposite side of the door. 418 00:22:49,635 --> 00:22:51,036 [Jen] It's definitely heart-stopping 419 00:22:51,237 --> 00:22:55,040 when you knock on the door and then you hear dogs barking. 420 00:22:56,075 --> 00:22:59,478 [Tony] The door is set back several feet, and what we 421 00:22:59,678 --> 00:23:01,080 call that in law enforcement is the fatal funnel. 422 00:23:01,247 --> 00:23:03,849 Because if you're going to get engaged with gunfire, 423 00:23:03,949 --> 00:23:05,150 that's where it's going to happen. 424 00:23:05,217 --> 00:23:07,886 And so the object is to knock and announce 425 00:23:07,987 --> 00:23:09,955 and then get out of that fatal funnel. 426 00:23:17,162 --> 00:23:18,364 [Narrator] Detective Tony Godwin hunts for 427 00:23:18,464 --> 00:23:21,233 predator Justin Peters at his last known address. 428 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:22,968 [knock on door] 429 00:23:32,845 --> 00:23:35,681 [Tony] Justin's mom comes to the door and talks to us. 430 00:23:36,048 --> 00:23:38,817 We're not trying to give problems to his mom, 431 00:23:38,951 --> 00:23:40,586 because she has nothing to do with this. 432 00:23:50,429 --> 00:23:51,830 [Tony] Where's Justin? 433 00:23:51,997 --> 00:23:54,033 I need to know that he's not going to get tipped off 434 00:23:54,199 --> 00:23:56,802 that the cops just went through his door. 435 00:23:56,969 --> 00:23:59,305 And so time is of the essence for me. 436 00:24:27,466 --> 00:24:30,402 [Narrator] Justin's mom doesn't know her son's whereabouts. 437 00:24:30,602 --> 00:24:33,572 Tony's team shifts gears to trace him another way. 438 00:24:35,307 --> 00:24:38,510 [Tony] I get word back that Justin is in East Dallas. 439 00:24:39,278 --> 00:24:41,814 I put a part of my team on finding Justin, 440 00:24:41,947 --> 00:24:44,883 and they tell me, like, hey, we found the location. 441 00:24:45,017 --> 00:24:47,119 He's not here, but he's told his friends 442 00:24:47,252 --> 00:24:49,288 that he walked to a job interview. 443 00:24:49,855 --> 00:24:52,057 He's inside of this local business 444 00:24:52,191 --> 00:24:54,560 and he's filling out an application for employment. 445 00:24:54,860 --> 00:24:55,761 So I tell him, 446 00:24:55,894 --> 00:24:57,663 "Hold the front door, we're on our way." 447 00:24:57,796 --> 00:24:59,598 [siren wails] 448 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:10,642 As we're driving to the location, 449 00:25:10,809 --> 00:25:13,212 Tony and I are developing a game plan. 450 00:25:24,189 --> 00:25:25,958 We're trying to get there as fast as we can, 451 00:25:26,091 --> 00:25:27,960 because we don't want the offender to look outside 452 00:25:28,093 --> 00:25:30,362 and see that there's a cop in the parking lot. 453 00:25:37,236 --> 00:25:38,670 Because you're ready for this to be done. 454 00:25:38,804 --> 00:25:40,472 We're ready to get our hands on our target. 455 00:26:00,626 --> 00:26:01,927 [Tony] When I tell him he's under arrest 456 00:26:02,060 --> 00:26:03,195 and he asks me what he did, 457 00:26:03,395 --> 00:26:06,064 I so badly want to just tell him, 458 00:26:06,198 --> 00:26:08,834 "You're a pedophile. I got you. 459 00:26:08,967 --> 00:26:10,969 You wanted to go have sex with a child in Pennsylvania." 460 00:26:11,036 --> 00:26:14,440 But I can't do that. He's oblivious at this point. 461 00:26:14,606 --> 00:26:15,841 He doesn't have a clue. 462 00:26:19,445 --> 00:26:20,946 Time to play nicey-nice with this guy, right? 463 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,014 Yeah. 464 00:26:22,114 --> 00:26:23,282 [Tony] Kind of soft-soap him a little bit, 465 00:26:23,449 --> 00:26:25,084 see if he's going to open up and talk. 466 00:26:31,190 --> 00:26:33,826 [Tony] I need this guy to tell me exactly what he did 467 00:26:33,959 --> 00:26:35,427 and what he intended to do. 468 00:26:35,794 --> 00:26:37,763 I'm not going to give up until he does so. 469 00:26:37,896 --> 00:26:41,066 And if I got to get mean and hard with him, I will. 470 00:27:17,636 --> 00:27:21,840 In one realm, he's trying to seek out words 471 00:27:22,007 --> 00:27:24,576 that do not make him sound like a pedophile, 472 00:27:25,043 --> 00:27:28,113 when that's what he is. And the other side of him is 473 00:27:28,247 --> 00:27:31,884 he's so shell-shocked that I know about this information, 474 00:27:31,984 --> 00:27:34,553 he can't even formulate a thought. 475 00:28:40,118 --> 00:28:42,287 [Tony] He's trying to come up with these excuses. 476 00:28:42,955 --> 00:28:44,690 This guy's an absolute pervert. 477 00:28:44,790 --> 00:28:46,758 He's in a chat room trying to make arrangements to have sex 478 00:28:46,892 --> 00:28:48,226 with a ten-year-old kid. 479 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:50,162 He's absolutely not looking for help. 480 00:28:50,228 --> 00:28:52,497 He's looking for like-minded individuals. 481 00:28:59,605 --> 00:29:01,373 Peter's case is very disturbing. 482 00:29:01,506 --> 00:29:04,309 But one takeaway parents have is that online predators 483 00:29:04,443 --> 00:29:07,412 have a tendency to use code words or little emojis 484 00:29:07,512 --> 00:29:08,847 to represent certain things. 485 00:29:08,981 --> 00:29:11,250 Something simple like a slice of pizza 486 00:29:11,316 --> 00:29:13,885 is a representation for child pornography. 487 00:29:14,386 --> 00:29:17,022 The term cheese pizza is also another code word 488 00:29:17,155 --> 00:29:20,859 for child pornography. Educate yourself and your kids, 489 00:29:20,993 --> 00:29:23,729 because things may not be as innocent as they appear. 490 00:29:25,197 --> 00:29:26,365 [Mark Casteel] Yeah, 10-4. 491 00:29:26,465 --> 00:29:28,700 He is backing into a spot right by the mailboxes right now. 492 00:29:28,834 --> 00:29:30,335 [Narrator] Detective Tony Godwin 493 00:29:30,435 --> 00:29:31,403 is hunting a predator 494 00:29:31,603 --> 00:29:34,206 who is advertising online for a daughter. 495 00:29:37,876 --> 00:29:41,213 [Narrator] He calls it role play, but it's pure depravity. 496 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:43,081 And now... 497 00:29:44,116 --> 00:29:45,917 [Narrator] He's about to face the full force 498 00:29:46,051 --> 00:29:47,786 of Tony's takedown team. 499 00:29:52,591 --> 00:29:54,026 [Tony] There's a small group of predators 500 00:29:54,159 --> 00:29:56,528 that are highly sophisticated and polished, 501 00:29:56,628 --> 00:29:59,031 like this guy, Christopher Williams. 502 00:29:59,197 --> 00:30:01,166 He presented as a model citizen. 503 00:30:01,266 --> 00:30:04,369 We have to prioritize these types for investigations, 504 00:30:04,503 --> 00:30:07,472 especially when we find out they have access to children. 505 00:30:16,882 --> 00:30:19,017 [Tony] On August 18th of 2011, 506 00:30:19,151 --> 00:30:24,523 I'm online proactively seeking out the most deviant people 507 00:30:24,589 --> 00:30:26,425 that are out there looking for children. 508 00:30:29,194 --> 00:30:31,563 I'm on the market site Craigslist. 509 00:30:31,697 --> 00:30:34,466 I go into the personal section called "casual encounters." 510 00:30:34,599 --> 00:30:37,769 I know that this is where predatory types hang out, 511 00:30:37,836 --> 00:30:38,970 looking for kids. 512 00:30:39,204 --> 00:30:41,373 One particular ad grabs my attention. 513 00:30:41,506 --> 00:30:45,544 This posting makes reference to role play, daddy/daughter. 514 00:30:46,845 --> 00:30:49,247 But as you continue through the ad and he mentions 515 00:30:49,314 --> 00:30:52,117 "Under 20 moves to the top of the line," 516 00:30:52,751 --> 00:30:55,954 indicates to me that he really has a propensity for kids, 517 00:30:56,121 --> 00:30:58,857 but he's not able to articulate that in his ad, 518 00:30:58,990 --> 00:31:01,860 because that ad would get flagged and tossed out. 519 00:31:03,428 --> 00:31:05,697 He could be looking to target someone who's underage. 520 00:31:05,831 --> 00:31:07,966 And he will probably land on a real kid 521 00:31:08,100 --> 00:31:09,601 if I don't do something to intervene. 522 00:31:10,836 --> 00:31:13,271 I'm using my 14-year-old persona, Britany, 523 00:31:13,405 --> 00:31:16,041 who's from the Dallas area. I have used this profile 524 00:31:16,208 --> 00:31:20,045 and arrested tons and tons of predatory types. 525 00:31:21,346 --> 00:31:24,449 I respond, "Hey, I'm 14. Is that cool?" 526 00:31:25,083 --> 00:31:29,121 Only 20 minutes later, I get a reply from a guy named CW. 527 00:31:29,254 --> 00:31:30,922 "Yeah, your age is cool. 528 00:31:31,056 --> 00:31:32,824 As long as you know how to be discreet." 529 00:31:33,625 --> 00:31:35,327 The fact that he wants me to be discreet 530 00:31:35,460 --> 00:31:37,963 right from the jump tells me that he is 531 00:31:38,096 --> 00:31:41,633 very, very aware of what he's doing is illegal and wrong. 532 00:31:42,167 --> 00:31:45,036 So it's game on. I'm now in pursuit of a real predator. 533 00:31:49,207 --> 00:31:51,610 [Narrator] Detective Tony Godwin is working overtime 534 00:31:51,676 --> 00:31:55,547 to reel in a child predator with the username CW. 535 00:31:57,382 --> 00:31:59,684 [Tony] So I start to engage with CW as Britany, 536 00:31:59,751 --> 00:32:03,722 kind of talking in teen speak. He replies within minutes. 537 00:32:05,357 --> 00:32:06,324 [Tony] " That's cool. 538 00:32:06,391 --> 00:32:08,193 "Are you looking to just chat and talk? 539 00:32:08,627 --> 00:32:11,997 Or are you actually looking to meet and get some experience?" 540 00:32:12,597 --> 00:32:15,834 He jumps right into how he has a role play fantasy 541 00:32:15,967 --> 00:32:19,004 and that a young girl would fit perfectly into that scenario. 542 00:32:19,171 --> 00:32:22,774 His role play suggestion is simply an excuse. 543 00:32:23,041 --> 00:32:24,176 He's actually looking to 544 00:32:24,276 --> 00:32:26,244 have a sexual relationship with a child. 545 00:32:27,512 --> 00:32:29,147 I really want to catch this guy. 546 00:32:33,552 --> 00:32:36,021 [Tony] The next morning, he's messaging me through the app. 547 00:32:36,154 --> 00:32:38,557 "Hi there. I'm turned on that you're so young 548 00:32:38,723 --> 00:32:41,159 and wanting to explore. Chris." 549 00:32:43,562 --> 00:32:46,631 So for the first time, he signed off with a real name, Chris. 550 00:32:46,832 --> 00:32:47,999 Now I'm really excited, 551 00:32:48,133 --> 00:32:50,135 because it's one more piece of the puzzle that I have 552 00:32:50,235 --> 00:32:52,437 and hopefully we'll be able to get him identified soon enough. 553 00:32:54,139 --> 00:32:55,607 [Narrator] Over the next three days, 554 00:32:55,674 --> 00:32:58,376 Chris and Tony exchange dozens of messages. 555 00:32:58,476 --> 00:33:00,645 We're communicating back and forth, 556 00:33:00,712 --> 00:33:02,681 like an exhaustive amount. 557 00:33:03,114 --> 00:33:05,350 The reality is he's telling this to 558 00:33:05,550 --> 00:33:07,018 what he believes to be a child. 559 00:33:11,823 --> 00:33:13,525 He knows this is a crime. 560 00:33:13,892 --> 00:33:16,161 I have absolutely no doubt in my mind 561 00:33:16,228 --> 00:33:18,630 that Chris is an absolute child predator. 562 00:33:18,830 --> 00:33:22,100 I'm locked in at this point. I want to take this guy down. 563 00:33:24,369 --> 00:33:26,605 Now he wants to know what I look like. 564 00:33:28,006 --> 00:33:29,808 That's really a door that opens up for me 565 00:33:29,941 --> 00:33:31,676 an opportunity to gather additional evidence, 566 00:33:31,877 --> 00:33:34,446 because I'm going to ask him to reciprocate 567 00:33:34,579 --> 00:33:36,615 and also send me photos of himself. 568 00:33:37,082 --> 00:33:38,083 Next thing you know, 569 00:33:38,250 --> 00:33:40,719 he sends me four different images of himself. 570 00:33:40,852 --> 00:33:44,522 And what I have is a bald, middle-aged white male 571 00:33:44,589 --> 00:33:46,791 with a pretty significant goatee. 572 00:33:48,994 --> 00:33:51,830 I know your name, I know what you look like. 573 00:33:52,030 --> 00:33:53,398 Now I'm coming after you. 574 00:33:54,266 --> 00:33:57,369 I send two photos of what is being purported as Britany. 575 00:33:57,502 --> 00:33:59,437 I do have the availability to do that 576 00:33:59,638 --> 00:34:00,839 through one of my coworkers. 577 00:34:01,006 --> 00:34:02,807 So she's provided me with plenty of photographs 578 00:34:02,941 --> 00:34:04,976 to use from when she was 14. 579 00:34:05,310 --> 00:34:09,147 And he replies, "Oh, wow, Britany, you're super cute. 580 00:34:09,281 --> 00:34:12,450 You look a little older, almost 15." 581 00:34:13,151 --> 00:34:17,355 What? Thank you, sir. He knows I'm underage. 582 00:34:17,556 --> 00:34:18,957 Thank you for that admission, Chris. 583 00:34:19,157 --> 00:34:21,326 I appreciate you admitting to a crime, 584 00:34:21,426 --> 00:34:23,061 online solicitation of a minor. 585 00:34:23,795 --> 00:34:24,963 But then Chris tells me something 586 00:34:25,030 --> 00:34:26,698 that really alarms me. 587 00:34:27,065 --> 00:34:29,568 He has a daughter, and she's nine years old. 588 00:34:30,802 --> 00:34:33,371 Immediately, I know I need to escalate things 589 00:34:33,471 --> 00:34:35,307 because he has access to a child. 590 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:37,042 And I really need to figure out who he is 591 00:34:37,208 --> 00:34:38,476 and get him in custody. 592 00:34:41,479 --> 00:34:44,249 So I decide I'm going to push the envelope just a little bit. 593 00:34:45,917 --> 00:34:47,552 And I ask him if he wants to text me. 594 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,355 If I have his phone number, I can exploit that 595 00:34:50,522 --> 00:34:52,991 and get all the intelligence I need about who he is. 596 00:34:54,693 --> 00:34:57,362 He's nice enough to say, "Yeah, absolutely." 597 00:34:57,963 --> 00:34:59,798 Now I have a cell phone number, 598 00:34:59,864 --> 00:35:01,600 perfect information that I can use. 599 00:35:01,733 --> 00:35:03,935 I'm going to pass this over to Detective Casteel, 600 00:35:04,035 --> 00:35:06,237 let him dig in and figure out who the guy is. 601 00:35:08,740 --> 00:35:10,508 [Mark] Tony brings me a cell phone number, 602 00:35:10,642 --> 00:35:12,610 and he asked me to run it through the police database. 603 00:35:12,677 --> 00:35:15,480 Getting a cell phone number is a good piece of the puzzle. 604 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:16,614 We can generally develop 605 00:35:16,715 --> 00:35:18,483 a suspect on a cell phone number. 606 00:35:19,351 --> 00:35:23,088 I get a hit on Christopher Lance Williams of Dallas, Texas. 607 00:35:23,588 --> 00:35:25,924 I find out that he works in dental technology. 608 00:35:27,025 --> 00:35:29,761 I locate the driver's license of Christopher Lance Williams, 609 00:35:29,894 --> 00:35:31,529 and I pull up the photograph. 610 00:35:31,630 --> 00:35:33,999 And that photograph matches the pictures 611 00:35:34,132 --> 00:35:35,400 that had been sent to Tony. 612 00:35:36,568 --> 00:35:39,604 I'm feeling great. This is a positive identification. 613 00:35:42,073 --> 00:35:44,042 So the next day, Christopher Williams 614 00:35:44,209 --> 00:35:47,278 asks if Britany's available to meet in person, 615 00:35:48,079 --> 00:35:51,082 and then suggests, "Hey, we can watch porn. 616 00:35:51,516 --> 00:35:53,084 You can practice on me." 617 00:35:53,752 --> 00:35:56,021 He's now indicated we're going to meet in person, 618 00:35:56,154 --> 00:35:57,689 we're going to perform these sex acts. 619 00:35:57,789 --> 00:35:59,891 He's just committed this crime for me. 620 00:35:59,991 --> 00:36:02,360 I can issue a warrant for his arrest and pick him up. 621 00:36:05,830 --> 00:36:07,832 Whenever Tony calls me, we get excited. 622 00:36:07,999 --> 00:36:09,067 We like taking these guys down. 623 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:10,602 We like taking them off the street. 624 00:36:11,002 --> 00:36:13,905 I set up surveillances on his home address. 625 00:36:16,408 --> 00:36:19,044 And I set up surveillances on his work address. 626 00:36:20,912 --> 00:36:22,013 It's a big step in our case. 627 00:36:22,113 --> 00:36:24,082 We'll actually even watch them at their house 628 00:36:24,249 --> 00:36:27,552 and actually follow them into the takedown location. 629 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:30,989 So we're on for a takedown tomorrow. 630 00:36:37,162 --> 00:36:38,963 [Narrator] Detective Mark Casteel waits for 631 00:36:39,097 --> 00:36:42,300 child predator Christopher Williams to show up. 632 00:36:42,801 --> 00:36:44,135 [Mark] Detective Godwin has been 633 00:36:44,235 --> 00:36:47,605 in contact with this subject, we believe, here. 634 00:36:47,806 --> 00:36:49,574 Christopher Williams. 635 00:36:50,842 --> 00:36:54,679 Williams has made arrangements to come meet Detective Godwin, 636 00:36:54,846 --> 00:36:57,015 who he believes is a minor, 637 00:36:57,582 --> 00:36:59,150 to come here to have sex with her. 638 00:36:59,284 --> 00:37:01,619 We do not know his vehicle for sure, 639 00:37:01,753 --> 00:37:05,290 he has said it was a red Ford pickup, I believe. 640 00:37:05,390 --> 00:37:09,194 And hopefully, he'll be showing up here very shortly. 641 00:37:09,594 --> 00:37:11,796 I generally instruct the surveillance units 642 00:37:11,963 --> 00:37:13,164 on what's going on. 643 00:37:13,298 --> 00:37:15,767 And Tony will generally give the takedown signal. 644 00:37:16,968 --> 00:37:19,137 [Tony] So I position myself at the complex where 645 00:37:19,270 --> 00:37:23,007 I have a good visual of where Williams is going to park. 646 00:37:23,808 --> 00:37:25,310 I get a message from Williams 647 00:37:25,443 --> 00:37:27,812 who tells me he's just leaving work. 648 00:37:31,282 --> 00:37:33,084 My surveillance team tells me they watched him 649 00:37:33,151 --> 00:37:36,287 leave the house in a red Ford pickup. He's on his way. 650 00:37:39,657 --> 00:37:41,559 Now is the nerve-wracking part. 651 00:37:42,060 --> 00:37:44,129 Let's see if he follows through with his promise. 652 00:37:49,434 --> 00:37:52,036 [Mark] Okay, we should be seeing a red Ford pickup. 653 00:37:53,605 --> 00:37:55,106 Sorry, yeah, there it is. 654 00:38:03,715 --> 00:38:05,683 [Mark] Yeah, 10-4, he is backing into a spot 655 00:38:05,817 --> 00:38:07,318 right by the mailboxes right now. 656 00:38:09,654 --> 00:38:12,090 He also leaves the engine running, and that's concerning, 657 00:38:12,190 --> 00:38:15,260 because he might try to pull out fast and cause a pursuit. 658 00:38:16,761 --> 00:38:18,796 [Tony] I have to really bide my time, 659 00:38:19,164 --> 00:38:22,233 and wait until the absolute critical moment 660 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:23,535 to give the takedown order. 661 00:38:42,420 --> 00:38:44,889 [siren wails] 662 00:38:47,792 --> 00:38:51,362 [dramatic instrumental music] 663 00:39:11,649 --> 00:39:13,051 [Tony] Williams just gives up. 664 00:39:13,151 --> 00:39:14,485 He throws his hands up in the air. 665 00:39:14,552 --> 00:39:17,889 He knows immediately he is caught and bought and paid for. 666 00:39:18,656 --> 00:39:20,158 He doesn't give any resistance. 667 00:39:20,325 --> 00:39:22,327 Pull him out, they handcuff him. 668 00:39:23,394 --> 00:39:25,330 [Mark] Okay, subject's in custody. 669 00:39:27,932 --> 00:39:29,767 And we'll be signing over and off for now. 670 00:39:33,238 --> 00:39:36,174 Three minutes ago, this dude thought that he had 671 00:39:36,274 --> 00:39:39,844 as much game as he could to have sex with a 14-year-old girl. 672 00:39:40,044 --> 00:39:42,413 Now he's in custody. He's in the back of a squad car. 673 00:39:42,513 --> 00:39:45,483 He's about to be going to jail. Awesome. 674 00:39:50,021 --> 00:39:53,291 [Tony] Williams is arrested and transported to the jail. 675 00:39:54,993 --> 00:39:56,761 Williams tells me that he does have 676 00:39:56,894 --> 00:40:00,732 child sex abuse material on both a cell phone and a laptop. 677 00:40:03,167 --> 00:40:06,337 In that conversation, he admits that he did initiate 678 00:40:06,437 --> 00:40:08,172 the communications with Britany, 679 00:40:08,273 --> 00:40:12,510 and he also indicated that had no police been involved, 680 00:40:12,644 --> 00:40:14,245 he probably would have followed through 681 00:40:14,412 --> 00:40:17,015 with his intentions of having a sex act with her. 682 00:40:18,449 --> 00:40:22,620 Absolute proof that Christopher Williams is a child predator. 683 00:40:24,622 --> 00:40:26,924 After forensics were done on his devices, 684 00:40:26,991 --> 00:40:30,862 it was learned that Williams had engaged in communications 685 00:40:30,995 --> 00:40:34,065 and sent nude images with a real 14-year-old girl. 686 00:40:36,768 --> 00:40:39,337 I was able to track down this 14-year-old victim. 687 00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:42,173 I did interview her, and she did confirm that Williams 688 00:40:42,273 --> 00:40:45,410 asked her to produce nude child sex abuse material 689 00:40:45,543 --> 00:40:48,046 of herself and provide it to him. 690 00:40:49,847 --> 00:40:52,417 As I suspected, Williams was operating 691 00:40:52,583 --> 00:40:55,186 in the real world with real minors, 692 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,221 which really highlights the importance 693 00:40:57,355 --> 00:41:00,325 of taking a guy like this off the street. 694 00:41:07,198 --> 00:41:10,335 Christopher Lance Williams was a wolf in sheep's clothing. 695 00:41:10,435 --> 00:41:12,637 He looked normal, he acted normal. 696 00:41:12,904 --> 00:41:14,672 Works in the dental industry. 697 00:41:16,441 --> 00:41:20,044 He's using his status to earn the trust of a vulnerable kid. 698 00:41:21,379 --> 00:41:24,048 I tell parents to let their kids know that it doesn't matter 699 00:41:24,182 --> 00:41:26,918 how much someone earns, what sort of job they have. 700 00:41:27,085 --> 00:41:29,220 They can still be a sexual predator. 701 00:41:29,454 --> 00:41:32,523 And educate the child to tell a parent or trusted adult 702 00:41:32,657 --> 00:41:35,259 that the behavior of someone they've encountered online 703 00:41:35,393 --> 00:41:37,161 doesn't feel right.