TV sting angers Newtown residents [Pedophile TV Ratings Grab] [PA}

The Daily Times ^ | 3/4/2004 | CINDY SCHARR

[brityank]

TV sting angers Newtown residents

03/04/2004

By CINDY SCHARR cscharr@delcotimes.com NEWTOWN -- Furious residents of the Rockwood Road neighborhood ripped an NBC 10 undercover report that they said lured pedophiles to their street. "This was driven by money and by ratings," said Burt Lawley, standing outside of the house in which NBC 10 set up a sting to expose pedophiles seeking to have sex with a fictitious 14-year-old girl. "They’ve jeopardized every child in this neighborhood and we’re not going to take it."

About 70 angry residents gathered Wednesday night on Rockwood Road to share information and formulate a response to NBC 10’s actions. Then, about 90 minutes later, many more people packed the township building on Hidden Hollow Road to find out what was being done about the situation.

"Our kids face enough challenges without having Channel 10 lure pedophiles into our community," said Todd Eachus, President of the Marple Newtown School Board.

Sunday, reporter Harry Hairston and his staff set up shop in the Rockwood Road rental house they used as a prop for his report, which allegedly exposed the peril posed by pedophiles who cruise the internet.

They logged on to the Internet posing as a 14-year-old girl, according to station spokeswoman Eva Blackwell. The "14-year-old" invited men who were looking to have sex with her to visit the Rockwood Road residence, claiming the girl’s parents were away for the evening, authorities said.

Three men took the bait -- two from Pennsylvania, one from Maryland -- according to Police Chief Lee Hunter. Investigators from the Delaware County Crimes Against Children Task Force aretrying to obtain their identities, as well as the names of those who were in the chatroom. Channel 10 has refused to cooperate with authorities, Hunter said.

NBC 10’s Blackwell insisted that the investigative piece was done as a community service.

"Our sole purpose in doing this story was to make parents aware of the fact that there are a number of predators who are out there trying to lure and prey on young children through the Internet," Blackwell said. "Harry Hairston worked with a group, a vigilante group if you will, in terms of nabbing people who do this type of thing."

When asked if the station had contacted law-enforcement authorities, who are professionals in capturing such criminals, Blackwell said they hadn’t.

"Our story is to make people aware," she said. Hairston, she added, is an investigative journalist.

"From our prospective, that’s exactly what he was doing," she said.

But many who attended the two meetings Wednesday were outraged -- some threatening legal action against the station. Others planned to contact the station’s sponsors in protest. But what had parents most concerned, even panicked, was the prospect of their children walking home from school and crossing paths with a pedophile.

"My 7-year-old was asking if a bad man was out there and if he was going to get him," said neighborhood resident Moira Giangiulio.

While Hunter said that he’s not aware of any law the station broke, he and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.

"We want to prosecute," Hunter said. "Township officials are absolutely appalled by this and we will do everything to prosecute this."

The Marple Newtown School Board, through Eachus, issued a statement that blasted NBC 10 and its actions. Letters are being sent home with school children and assemblies will be held to discuss the matter with the children. Counselors will also be made available, Eachus said.

"This senseless and outrageous ratings grab will not and should not be accepted by our community," said the district’s statement.

"NBC 10’s ill-conceived plot, while shamelessly pursuing ratings, shows a callous disregard for our children. That NBC 10 chose to conduct this stunt within 500 yards of a parochial school and just a short distance from two of our elementary schools is further proof of its disregard."

Hunter said he has put four marked and two unmarked patrol cars on Rockwood Road and the surrounding streets. That will continue, he said, for the near future.

Another town meeting has been set up for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Gauntlett Community Center on Media Line Road and West Chester Pike.

©The Daily Times 2004

[Turbo Pig]

Hmmm, they did the same thing here in Kansas City. All I've heard is "glad they caught the pervs".

[brityank]

"Our sole purpose in doing this story was to make parents aware of the fact that there are a number of predators who are out there trying to lure and prey on young children through the Internet," Blackwell said. "Harry Hairston worked with a group, a vigilante group if you will, in terms of nabbing people who do this type of thing."

When asked if the station had contacted law-enforcement authorities, who are professionals in capturing such criminals, Blackwell said they hadn’t.

More fallout from the liberal courts and permissive judges -- does anyone think that Parents are unaware of the danger posed by pedophiles? Had the local cops been involved, then the perps could have been tracked and caught. Now these scumbags go back to their communities to prey again.

[brityank]

The local cops here were not involved; the perps were allowed to leave with no ID made, and the TV station is refusing to cooperate.

[boxerblues]

Our local Sheriffs office did this with the deputies portraying the "young girls". I cant imagine why a TV station would do this without first notifying the police first. This could of turned into a very ugly situation.

[Turbo Pig]

In KC no police were involved. The report did get up into the perv's grills with the camera, though; up close and personal. They named names and flashed pictures.

[hellinahandcart]

The local cops here were not involved; the perps were allowed to leave with no ID made, and the TV station is refusing to cooperate.

Then the station should not be surprised to find itself burned to the ground one morning. That is outrageous.

[Turbo Pig]

Our local Sheriffs office did this with the deputies portraying the "young girls". I cant imagine why a TV station would do this without first notifying the police first. This could of turned into a very ugly situation.

I couldn't tell if the police were positive or negative about this. The spokesman said something to the effect that they could not condone private citizens doing this, but the police needed all the help they could get. Not the exact words he used. That's the idea that I walked away with, though.

[Skooz]

Three men took the bait -- two from Pennsylvania, one from Maryland ....

How incomprehensibly stupid are these guys? Not just pervs, but low IQ pervs to boot.

[LRS]

"Our sole purpose in doing this story was to make parents aware of the fact that there are a number of predators who are out there trying to lure and prey on young children through the Internet,"

Ahhh! Sensationalism was never even a factor! Their sole point was to in service to the community.

Three men took the bait -- two from Pennsylvania, one from Maryland -- according to Police Chief Lee Hunter. Investigators from the Delaware County Crimes Against Children Task Force aretrying to obtain their identities, as well as the names of those who were in the chatroom. Channel 10 has refused to cooperate with authorities, Hunter said.

OHHHHH! So there are limits to their community service!

[brityank]

... low IQ pervs ...

Bet they are higher than the bark-beetle infested denizens of Channel 10's Mahogany Row.

[brityank]

Not gonna go there. ;^)

[brityank]

Their 'limits' were within a half-mile of a Parochial school, and the students here walk if within one mile of their respective schools, with the High school within that boundary.

[foreverfree]

Delco native bump

[b9]

Pedophile ping.
Why wouldn't NBC 10 want the GOOD publicity of helping to capture this vermin?

That's like luring cockroaches without a can of Raid. What's the point?

[Prodigal Son]

It's a wonder they didn't net Scott Ritter in this thing.

[hellinahandcart]

Another reason for why a news station wouldn't be cooperating their asses off with the police just occurred to me.

What if the whole thing's a fake? Nobody took their bait, and they had a story to run, so they brought in non-local men to pose as sickos. That's why they don't want anyone to see the chat transcripts or give out any names.

[LRS]

You know, I was wondering the same thing (about the pervs being faked) when I was being so sarcastic about the station's stated motives in my earlier post...

In any event, the FCC should come down on these clowns...

[hellinahandcart]

I know this stuff really does happen, because it happened in my building. A few years ago the airhead teenager down the hall got a little too involved in a chatroom and invited a couple of guys over to "party", since her Mom was out for the evening.

She buzzed them into the building but lost her nerve when they were at her door. Wouldn't let them in after she saw them through the peephole, I guess they weren't what they portrayed themselves as in the chatroom. They got mad and tried to force the door. When that didn't work, they took the stairs down instead of the elevator and amused themselves by breaking out every single window in the stairwell, and the lobby doors as well.

Boy was she in trouble.

[brityank]

What if the whole thing's a fake?

Good point; after all the Media never lies, right? I did not see the clips, so I don't know how much of the perps was shown in the reports, but I'm sure the out-takes would and they would be invaluable to the police to catch the pervs.