Local Suspect Arrested in Child Predator Case in Mt. Vernon
MOUNT VERNON, Ill. (WSIL) — Mount Vernon Police arrested a 45-year-old man after he allegedly tried to meet with someone he believed was a teenage girl. Investigators say Clinton Maxey was actually communicating with members of a group working to identify potential predators.
Maxey was arrested and charged with indecent solicitation of a minor and traveling to meet a minor. Video shows the moments he was taken into custody on April 18.
The group that helped find Maxey is called Operation 17:2. President Garrett Gross says the nonprofit is named after a Bible verse, Luke 17:2, and was inspired by a desire to protect children’s innocence.
The organization uses undercover online profiles posing as minors. Gross says suspects initiate contact, not the other way around.
“We don’t solicit anything. We have equal accounts set up on certain apps. They solicit the conversation and we just kind of go from there. If they get to a point where they want to meet up, they think they’re meeting a 13-year-old and then I show up,” Gross said.
Gross says the group documents every interaction before arranging meetups and coordinates with law enforcement. He says they screenshot everything from the first conversation through the end and organize it in folders to turn over to police.
“All of that will be able to be turned over to law enforcement and it’s all organized. So it makes it pretty convenient for them,” Gross said.
Mount Vernon Police Chief Robert Brands says investigators reviewed messages, coordinated with the state’s attorney and set up surveillance at the agreed meeting location. Brands says his investigations division met with individuals who had the messages and concerns and started an investigation.
“So our officers and investigators went to that area to see if he would show up. And he did. Then our officers took Maxey into custody and then started to interview him on the reasons he was there.” Brands said.
While Operation 17:2 helped alert police, authorities stress the importance of proper investigative procedures.
“The concern is if a group gets involved that doesn’t have proper training or goes about it the wrong way, that we can’t successfully prosecute a case,” Brands said.
The group says they hope their work brings awareness to the dangers children face online.
“If that was a real person and they actually met up, it’s gonna follow them the rest of their lives, you know? I don’t think there’s any crimes that are worse than against children,” Gross said.
Officials urge parents to stay vigilant online and report anything suspicious directly to law enforcement. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
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