So , Nicholas… play this scenario out for me and try to understand and keep up. And I welcome all of you to comment on this.

Say your on an ADULT only website, one where you must agree with theTOU (terms of use ) , and say you’ve been on such a website, like craigslist, obviously before FOSTA and SESTA when after those happened the personal section was removed. Not to stop sex trafficking, absolutely not. But to save Craig Danielson from being sued. But anyway, say you’ve used the service before, whether to find consentual sex with another adult over the age of 18, or maybe you posted or responded to an ad in the past looking for love. I’ve used craigslist for years, to sell stuff, maybe find another ADULT to have some fun with, or as I have also personally found, love. I met the most amazing and beautiful woman on Craigslist, and I / we plan to be wed. She’s the greatest thing I’ve ever found on this earth, she’s my world. So let’s not say anything about it being impossible or just a place people go to for casual consentual sex. And I’ve also just read the personal ads with no intention of anything but seeing what was on there, have a laugh, see what some people have as a fetish…etc.

And yes, unequivocally there are and have always been “fakes” and people who lie and ” catfish ” on any dating site or app. But what if you run across an ad, which stated that the person who posted it is of age, as they need to be. But you get a response, from a real person, but unbeknownst to you, they reply once or twice, you realize ok, this person is real, so at least you feel comfortable your talking with an actual real person. But, but then they say, oh… by the way I’m 13 year’s old and a runaway.

What do you do? It’s not as if you know for certain this person is who they say, some college kid playing out some sick joke, some 400 lb man having a laugh because he’s got nothing better to do, or perhaps it’s bait for yet another “swatting ” case. You’ve got no idea who your speaking with online as EVERYONE has completever anonymity online, nobody knows if your talking to a person who says she female and is actually male, you just don’t know as the internet has complete anonymity with whomever your speaking with.

But let’s play with the scenario of someone telling you there a 13 year old runaway. It’s not as if you can just call the police, what are they going to do? They have no idea or resources to look into it, if they even care in the first place. That point was even made on the Dr Phil show, that police won’t even show up if you called and said that. So, as a man with morals, what are you to do?? If you say you care about others, especially kids, isn’t it your duty as a man to find out if this person is real, telling the truth or not? If your a real man, and your care about others, I say yes, yes you have an obligation to find out if it is a real minor in real danger.

But what you didn’t know was that it was a sting operation being run by the ICAC and MECTF. You are told to bring gifts, you don’t. Your asked questions of a sexual nature, but don’t answer them or ask any. You try to get this unknown entity into a public place, to find out if it’s in fact a real minor in danger of being raped or worse. Well, in Washington state as soon as you decided to go and try to see for yourself, the minute you step out of your door, and in some cases you don’t even need do that. In Washington state that’s called “taking a substantial step ” and guess what, your arrested for attempt rape 2nd degree of a child, plus communication with a minor, even though there was never a minor, and never the possibility of even meeting one, your going to jail. Your now ,at least in Washington state facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 58.5 months sentence minimum to LIFE in prison. If the officer you spoke to says hey, I have a friend who house I’m at. And you still try to go to a public place and pay absolutely no attention to the other fake person the ICAC and police made up, your attempted rape charges are now x2. So that’s a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to LIFE in prison, only for trying to do the right thing. Tell me how that’s fair, legal, or morally ok?

Well, it isn’t. But in Washington state that’s the reality for over 300 men right now. Sure, I’m absolutely sure some had I’ll intentions, but not all, for 100 percent not all. And I can say that because that was not, not ever my intention. But here I sit facing 10-14 years in prison to LIFE. All predicated on a lie told by the police.

So, you basically reversed the roles these tool bags played, yet in Washington state your probably going to prison for perhaps life now.

And why, for justice? For or to get “dangerous predators ” off the streeet… nope. MONEY. PURE AND SIMPLE MONEY . They get federal government grant money from innocent men for every single conviction they get. Roughly 100,000.00 per conviction. Most people take olea bargains, as has been said people, and likely people who would be on your jury if you chose to go to court are already prejudice and have a predetermined mindset, so right off the bat your jury is bias. Entrapment defense strategy isn’t allowed. Your facing years and years in prison if not LIFE. So, innocent men (and women) take plea deals out of fear. Fear because of the draconian style laws in Washington state. So Nicholas, if you think your a good person and good guy who would be doing the right thing, you’d be in jail or prison because you thought you were doing the right thing. And don’t forget about CC ( community custody, probation ) for a year to three if, if you made it through and out. Lifetime registration. And don’t forget about if you had kids, you’ll never see them again. You’ll most likely never find love as your now a registered sex offender. Your friends are gone, because of the heanous accusations against you. Pretty bleak scenario. So before you think everyone is evil, do some research. Write legislation, speak up for those who have lost their lives and voice.

And can we please not forget another ridiculous and horrible FACT regarding the USA…. child marriage is legal in almost every state to this very day. Yep, 10 year old boy and girls are being married off before even becoming a teenager. Before your even in high school, your married to a 40, 50, 60 year old man at the age of 10, or younger. But that’s just A ok with the government.

Jacob and Maestro
Appreciate your comments they are well taken.
As far as these young people are concerned I agree they need guidance , restrictions, and good advice as well as punishment when deemed necessary. But isn’t this is what parents or guardians are for. For the state to take this away from them and decide for themselves how a parent should be raising their kids is immoral and an expanse of power not there’s to take. Just because they feel they know more than parents do. Not only are they doing this but punishing those who don’t follow the States opinion as to age restrictions and conduct. Age accountability varies greatly as to when and how much freedom a young person is capable of handling. So for the state to set rules is totally wrong.
Learning is a continuous process from time of conception to death. You can’t set an age on when a person knows enough to keep himself out of trouble.
I can understand minimum limits to purchasing things like alcohol , cigarettes and drugs, these are commodities. The states have authority over commerce.
But here we’re talking about morals . What authority should the State have to tell you how to raise your kids and what to teach them on religious issues. I think very little. If there is problems here it should be taken up in civil courts with the offended one getting a say on the matter ,no matter what age.
When a person chooses to no longer be under there parents rules and the parent goes along with it then the young person is responsible for his own actions and decisions.
I was on my own at 13 working and paying my own way, by my 16 th birthday I bought a car and was on my own, At 17 traveled al over the country working and doing very well financially. It’s not a one shoe fits all world. Sure I made mistakes but chose to learn from them and not repeat them , I’m still learning. Enough said.

Not only that but referring to a recent article right here on F.A.C, some vigilantes went after and killed who they thought was a sex offender but ended up being an innocent person that had nothing to do with any crime or the person they thought he was.

Ok Nicholas, point taken. Just so happens that I agree with you about the exposure, frankly anyone going somewhere they shouldn’t go for the purpose of doing something they should not be doing deserves what they get if for no other reason than being stupid. That said, you possess the same ignorant and false assumptions about RP that the rest of the population does. While twenty or twenty five years ago when the hysteria began we had no data on the issue of sex offenders, today we do and that data proves your and society’s beliefs about RP is FALSE.

So, do you educate and inform yourself about the facts on sex offenders? Of course you don’t, to do so would be to realize you are wrong on your assumptions about us. But it goes further than that, admitting that you were wrong takes maturity and courage qualities absent in people who believe like you do. And, even if you did admit you were wrong, based on facts of course, you would not want put any energy or offer any commitment to make things right, that is until you or someone you cared about found themselves on the registry, but then it is too late.

So good luck to you Nicholas and I hope you never have you live life as we do, but at the rate society is making people into sex offenders, over a million nation wide now, it is only a matter of time before you see someone you know in this forum.

Probation? Of course not. Haven’t been for over 15 years.

I’m not sure why you make a distinction between home and work. It is just as valid for LE to “verify” either. Also any place that you claim to be visiting, when you are visiting. Or volunteering, when you do. Etc.

Where I live, LE regularly tries to visit home and work for everyone. They ask the person to sign something every time.

As I’ve said many times before, getting locked up is not an option. Even getting arrested is not. LE had better pray that they never make that poor decision. I’ll make a lot of people pay dearly. It will be required.

Nicholas, what are you even going on about and whose comment are you responding to?

Also, police don’t put people in lock up, the courts do that.

Actually, the laws were pretty much the same back in Lewis’s and Presley’s day as they are now. But of course from state to state the age of consent was always different. Elvis “got away with it” because Priscilla begged her parents not to press charges. Today the state can press charges and even press charges on the parents who didn’t notify police of such a relationship.
I’m not defending Elvis for chasing after a 14 yr old but I want to also point out that he DID end up marrying her. Many of us (myself included) may have had similar encounters with post pubescent teens and – had law enforcement NOT been involved- maybe the relationship could have gone to the alter instead of a prison cell. JUST. SAYING.
My point? Simple: Just because we may have had a rendezvous with a teenager doesn’t mean we’re going to KEEP going after OTHER teenagers. This is why I feel the title of the law should be changed to “Sexual Misconduct” and eliminate the word “assault” and don’t have it be a registerable offense. It can still be an illegal thing to do but it doesn’t come close to the idea behind “Megan’s Law”. Not close at all.

Not sure if you are on probation or not but if not, they have no business showing up to your work. I no longer work but never had an officer or deputy come to my work, ever unless I was on probation.
The Deputy who comes to my house never asks me to sign anything, just says he is there for an address check, tells me to make sure to register when it is my time and wishes me a good day and then I do not see him again for maybe another 6 months.
This was not always the case. When I lived in Seminole county, I had County Deputies come by once a month and city police came by once a week. Once I won an appeal and got off probation I got the heck out of there.
Anyway, we both know, each person has to decide how they want to interact with law enforcement. I do not want to give them any reason to even give me a second thought so I am always polite and even wish them to be safe while on duty. It is not because I am afraid or passive. I believe many ( Not all ) of the cops and deputies would rather be doing real police work instead of driving around doing address checks. There are a few I have come across who seem to get off on making our lives miserable.
Whatever you do, make sure you put your family first. You are no good to them if you get locked up. I lost everything once, I do not plan to do that again.

You think an online sting like this will prevent the next child rape-murder?

Has it ever? Even once?

Please.

Fortunately, such horrific incidents are extremely rare. No thanks to uninformed individuals such as you who feel you have some sort of solution.

Also, I personally am anti-suicide, but I see we have a difference of opinion on that.

How can you have such empathy for child molesters? Police are simply not doing enough to lock them up so the next best thing is to expose them so everyone knows to keep their children away from them. All you seem to be worried about is what if a predator kills themselves. How about what if one of these guys that was exposed, wasn’t, then they rape and kill a child? Would that be ok because at least they weren’t exposed before hand and took the easy way out?