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Monday, July 21, 2008
Law - "Perverted Justice" praised in Kentucky
"Online sex stings in Kentucky win praise" is the headline to a lengthy story by Jason Riley Riley in today's Louisville Courier Journal. Some quotes:
[Twenty-eight men were] arrested in Kentucky between late 2006 and 2007 in three Internet sex stings set up by the citizen watchdog group Perverted Justice in consultation with local law enforcement.As part of the sting, Perverted Justice members pretend to be young teenagers while corresponding online with men who vividly described sexual acts they would like to perform -- sometimes sending sexually graphic photographs or video via the Internet -- and then arrange to meet at the child's home.
When the men come to the address given, they are arrested by local law enforcement.
While some states have had mixed results with the so-called "predator" cases, made famous by Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator" segments, Kentucky's were deemed a success by all involved -- and have led to some of the longest sentences in the country.
The message was, "Don't come here to Campbell County and do this; you're going to go to prison," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Michelle Snodgrass. Convictions there sent three men to prison for five years each, one for nine years and a fifth for 10 years. "Our experience with Perverted Justice was incredible. We had no problems."
Of the 28 Kentucky defendants caught up in the stings, all but three cases already have resulted in felony convictions.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 21, 2008 08:03 AM
Posted to General Law Related