MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Chris Hansen joined the Martin County Sheriff’s Office when deputies arrested six men in a child predator sting.
The sting, which involved detectives posing as minors online, successfully intercepted suspects who believed they were traveling to meet a child. Sheriff Budensiek emphasized the success of the mission, stating that authorities are “happy we’re getting them off the street” before they can cause harm to real victims in the community.
“We want parents to know that these people are out there and they’re out there every single day. We did this for three days, and we made it. We made six arrests. They’re in custody. We want parents to know that this is an issue and they’ve got to be vigilant,” said Budensiek.
Chris Hansen, known for the show “To Catch A Predator”, embedded with deputies during the sting for his current show “Takedown”. He commented on the similarities between this operation and previous ones from the past.
“The predators made the first move, as they always do a chat engages, the age is given. And what’s shocking to me is, in so many cases, they weren’t concerned at all about the age,” said Hansen.
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Hansen conducted interviews with multiple suspects arrested during this operation.
“One of the fellows tried to convince me that he was the Good Samaritan, that he didn’t want to see this 14-year-old girl go down the wrong road. He had worked on this excuse and honed it to the point where he thought he was going to get away with it,” Hansen said.
Chris Hansen joined the Martin County Sheriff’s Office when deputies arrested 6 men in a child predator sting (MCSO)
Sheriff Budensiek credited the success of the operation to the “undercover operators” who spent weeks messaging the suspects to build the cases. He reiterated that the Sheriff’s Office remains vigilant in its efforts to protect children, noting that while this specific operation has concluded, the work to identify others who solicit minors online is ongoing. The six men now face multiple charges related to the solicitation of a minor.
