GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) — It’s something nearly all of us can get behind: Taking down child predators.
But as more citizens get in on the action, differing opinions have come into play about the right way to do it.
That includes from one citizen-led organization with over 150,000 Facebook followers that posts alleged predators online and local prosecuting attorneys who have different ideas of how these issues should be solved.
“They are preying on the most innocent people in the world: Our children,” said Jake Hockey, using an alias for protection.
Jake and his partner, making up what they call the Pred Task Force, has done their own stings across Michigan, including Grand Traverse County.
But county prosecutors want to make sure it’s done in a way they say is most effective.
“If the members of the public have information, please provide that to law enforcement so that they can then pursue that and also take steps to make sure that we’re collecting evidence and preserving evidence,” said Grand Traverse County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Olson.
Prosecutors say collecting evidence and keeping people safe are things they worry about.
“When private individuals seek to conduct those investigations on their own, I think some that we’ve seen recently, they’re confronting the subjects in very public spaces,” said Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Attwood. “And when you’re confronting somebody with what obviously are extremely significant allegations, the potential for that person reacting in an irrational or dangerous way is very high.”
The need to stay safe is something Jake Hockey said he knows well as he uses an alias for his protection.
“Obviously what we do is dangerous. It’s dangerous,” said Jake. “These people, when you confront them, they feel like their world is crumbling, right? They feel like the world has just got turned upside down and you don’t know what they’re gonna do.”
Jake said the job is not a hobby and he often works long days.
“We will put a decoy online, who is underage and the photos will clearly be underage…” said Jake. “We start to communicate, we start to lean into a meet. And when we meet those people, they think they’re gonna meet the decoy… And when we meet them, they meet us. And what I do is I befriend them, build a rapport with them, have a conversation with them, get them to admit not only what we’ve talked about, but anything in their past. Once I feel like I’ve secured enough information, my partner knows when to call the police. We always call the police.”
It’s something Jake said they take seriously.
“The most important people in this world is our next generation and the kids,” said Jake. “They should be the utmost priority to everybody.”
Grand Traverse County prosecutors say the same.
“Those cases have always been a priority for us,” said Attwood. “They will continue to be a priority to us.”
The prosecuting attorneys office says two citizen-led investigations have recently led to charges while others have not been as successful.
“Recently there have been multiple times that not only could we not pursue charges, but there wasn’t probable cause for an arrest,” said Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney Noelle Moeggenberg.
Prosecutors say that means missed opportunities.
“If they’re confronted and there’s not enough evidence to go forward, you’re going to drive those folks underground and we’re going to lose a chance to maybe get in the right way and a sting that is legally sound,” said Attwood.
So questions have arisen asking if citizen-led investigations are the best way to handle these issues.
“When we do those stings there are multiple people in the room watching in live time what’s happening so it’s not just one person testifying to ‘this is what I did,'” said Moeggenberg. “It’s not just relying on one person’s credibility.”
Jake argues that he can get confessions, and even if confessions to him don’t stand up in the court of law, he believes they can help police get their own.
“No police officer is gonna get that information,” said Jake. “The only person getting that information is someone that does their job like I do. Someone that can create a bond with these people, interrogate these people.”
Jake hopes these situations lead to predators put behind bars.
“It needs to be arrests and convictions. 100%,” said Jake.
County prosecutors argue no matter the intentions of doing it on your own, better odds of arrests and convictions come from law enforcement handling situations from the start.
Jake says he’d like to work with law enforcement. When asked if he would be willing to hand over confrontations with suspected child predators, he said his team puts in the leg work to set up confrontations and should get to do them.
“I would rather have it my way and let the community of men deal with those people how they see fit,” said Jake.
He said his goal is to expose alleged child predators, and what happens after that doesn’t involve the Pred Task Force.
“I’m an investigative journalist,” said Jake. “I give the public their information. If they decide they want to take their own action on these people because the government doesn’t do their job in that regard, well, I think there’s a lot of people in the community that would take care of that to protect our children.”
Prosecuting attorneys said they’ll keep advising a different approach to these situations.
“Let’s go after these criminals the right way,” said Attwood. “Let’s make sure we get them the right way the first time and not drive them underground, and I think the way we do that is through law enforcement involvement from the get-go.”
Jake Hockey said his Pred Task Force will continue doing these stings and confrontations and he hopes to expand to more states in the future.
