Source: denverpost.com 8/11/21
Local police discourage the vigilante stings as they worry about public safety
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
By Noelle Phillips | nphillips@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: August 11, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 11, 2021 at 9:09 a.m.
Tommy Fellows hands shook as he looked at the text message from a man who said he wanted to meet a teenage girl for sex.
“What are u going to wear for daddy when I pick u up?” the message said.
Fellows handed the phone back to his colleague, Celeste Hilton, who was pretending to be a 13-year-old girl.
“Does my makeup look trashy enough?” asked Hilton, who had just applied thick, black eyeliner.
She snapped a selfie, then altered the image with Face App so that she appeared 20 years younger than she actually is. Hilton texted the photo, hoping to keep the man interested in meeting her. The two started packing their backpacks inside the garage of Fellows Westminster home, where he runs Colorado Ped Patrol — a YouTube channel established to expose internet predators.
“Let’s get him. I love it,” Fellows said. “These people are all disgusting.”
Hilton jumped and shouted, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Five months ago, Fellows created Colorado Ped Patrol, a loose group of people who set up meetings online with child predators and then livestream their encounters to expose and shame the men who prey on children. Ped Patrol’s YouTube channel has more than 19,000 followers and last month the group gained notoriety on the East Coast after Fellows traveled to Atlantic City, N.J., to participate in a sting that ensnared a Pennsylvania police officer.
But the group’s vigilante stings, which occur in places like parking lots and city parks, are drawing warnings from police and prosecutors, who say Fellows and his crew put themselves and the public in danger. Law enforcement officials also say Fellows’ tactics don’t follow proper criminal procedure, making it difficult to bring charges against alleged perpetrators.
On this day, the man chatting with Hilton sent a flurry of text messages, many of them vile, about his plans for her. He told Hilton via text that he would drive from Colorado Springs to meet her at a park in Lakewood.
“I give them multiple outs. I don’t just tell them I’m 13 once. I tell them multiple times I’m 13,” she said.
This man takes the out.
Just as Fellows and Hilton were packing their gear for the meetup, the man texted that he wasn’t coming. His message said he was only role-playing and needed someone older than 18.
The excitement evaporated.
“That’s a bummer,” Fellows said.
Related links:
Sex offender walks free after he’s snared by ‘paedo hunters’ (“The charges were listed as ‘attempts’ because the alleged correspondence was said to involve a ‘decoy vigilante group’ rather than communication with actual children.”)
“Just as Fellows and Hilton were packing their gear for the meetup, the man texted that he wasn’t coming. His message said he was only role-playing and needed someone older than 18.
The excitement evaporated.
‘That’s a bummer,’ Fellows said.”
OH…so he’s upset that this person decided against sexually assaulting a child???? WTF???
“The pursuit to expose pedophiles and facilitate their arrests is personal for Fellows and Hilton.
One of Fellows’ sons was sexually abused by a relative. That man is in prison, Fellows, 39, said.”
I see, so his son is assaulted by someone whom he knew well. So, to prevent that in the future, you go after “stranger danger”???
This guy is an AssHat!!!!
Sounds like those two who are going after predators are the true ones. Truly disturbing waste of flesh pretending to be a minor, setting up a meeting, live streaming on YouTube, getting donations from ignorance people, putting yourself in danger, and making your community less safe. Congrats to Pedo Stings by village idiots of the decade award!!
Tommy fellows said after watching outher online predator hunters he quit his window washing job and now runs the Colorado Pedo Patrol out of his home and relies on youtube and Financial donations form fans and subscribers to survive, smart guy he saw the low hanging fruit and wit for it easy money.
Celeste Hilton admitted to meeting older men online as a minor and having sexual intercourse with them no relationships just sexual intercourse so basically she’s had a fetish for taking sexually wit older men since she was a teen she said..”it was honestly the best therapy for me”… I guess as a teen she did it for sex nowadays she does it for money.
These online predator hunters dont care about children it’s all about money, YouTube views, fame and popularity.
The only reason LE isn’t quick to arrest people cought in these vigilante stings is because if this trend gets any bigger this could overload LE case loads and flood the courts and make Megan’s law website even more unmanageable then it allready is not to mention housing more nonviolent criminals in state prisons.
As for the grown as men getting busted in these stings shame on them.
Good luck
Who are the sick ones here? These two need some therapy to deal with their rage.
Good thing she hasn’t been part of the problem. I would love to see minors who lie about their age be prosecuted for accessing websites above their age. Perhaps it would slow a few of these if they had to spend time in juvie.
For all that we see of stings publicly, what almost concerns me more is what we don’t see of them, done in the shadows. How many politicians, senior executives, and military leaders are in debt to a shady individual or organization because they fell for a secretly run sting and are desperate to avoid jail and humiliation? … When there are such high stakes for an easy line to cross, that’s the dream of every secret police force in the world.
On May 25, 2021, from Edwardsville, Illinois (just northeast of St. Louis, Mo.), this local hero was featured on the local news:
https://www.kmov.cm/news/kts-predator-hunter-leader-charged-with-assault-obstruction-justice/article-301716680-bd67-53b93498605b.html
Cut and paste into your browser to view a photo of this genius.
Interestingly, a representative from the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office (read – ‘prosecutor’) seems to be defending this shmuck. Madison County States Attorney Thomas Hanes comments that, in respect to this case, we should approach this by “respecting each individual’s right to presumed innocence under our Constitutional system”. That’s what I paid my defense attorney to say in my case.
In the event the goon is found guilty, perhaps we can all write the sentencing judge as to the impact of his ill-advised behaviors on us as a class of citizens, and society as a whole. If what is alleged is true, then he seems to be a danger to the community and is badly in need of correction. I would suggest a substantial time in custody, along with a battery of psychological assessments and counseling, followed by several years of wearing an ankle bracelet so we know where he is at all times.
I would also suggest that we write our representatives in Congress and State Legislatures suggesting that we establish a “Psycho Predator Hunter Registry” (a 3-tier registry, of course, with photos published), as well as an International Psycho Predator Hunter Watch List. I understand their rate of recidivism is frightening and high.
Here’s the info on the case. I’m gonna keep my eye on this one.
Deft: Kyle P. Swanson,
Case No.: 2021CF001389
Madison County Circuit Court
Madison County – Edwardsville, Illinois
Always the same story, some pathetic underachiever who wants to be hero-worshipped and wants to be the big tough guy. So trite. I can’t wait till one of these sanctimonious losers messes with the wrong guy … all live for their audience! Now that I’d love to watch!