Longmont Police’s investigation remains active multiple days after a civilian group, named Predator Poachers, says it caught a Longmont man seeking to meet up with a girl to have sex.
What happened?
Predator Poachers recorded and posted a video Tuesday evening describing the Longmont encounter. The video’s background appears to show the suspect speaking with police officers. According to Predator Poachers, the suspect allegedly…
Attempted to meet a dad and the dad’s daughter to have sex with both of them…among other intentions.
Possessed sex toys, condoms, and child pornography, among other items.
Predator Poachers is a group focused on exposing suspected child predators through sting operations.
Longmont Police’s response:
Since then, the video has accrued over 155,000 views and attracted the attention of Longmont Public Safety. In a Facebook post, LPS stated it was aware of the incident and “has an active investigation underway. These cases are a “top priority…”
Longmont Police Chief, David Moore, said “Patrol officers have conducted an initial investigation, completed reports, and collected evidence during this interaction. The case has now been assigned to a detective…”
LPS meanwhile cautioned against such civilian-led groups, noting that Predator Poachers is not a law enforcement agency.
“Its members lack the training, authority, and legal standards required of police officers in Colorado,” LPS stated.
Is the suspect behind bars?
No — at least, not yet. That’s despite the video’s speaker saying “the probable cause to arrest this guy is off the charts.”
Part of the central theme of the Predator Poachers video was heavy criticism of the policies of the State of Colorado and Boulder County.
“Unfortunately, because of the liberal kingdom of Colorado, Boulder County, there’s going to be no arrest made tonight,” the speaker in the video said.
But the speaker hailed the work of the reporting officers emphasizing they did a “very thorough job.”
Neither LPS nor Predator Poachers specified which policies prevented an arrest.
The Longmont Brief requested a comment from LPS to provide an update on an arrest timeline and identify which policies prevented officers from immediately arresting. LPS stated:
“This case remains under investigation. As of [Thursday] morning, no arrests have been made. Our detectives are currently working to ensure a thorough investigation is completed.”
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.