Eric Vendette, 49, of Stafford, was charged with risk of injury to a minor and using a computer to entice a minor under 18, Connecticut State Police announced.
According to investigators, the citizen sleuth contacted Vendette online and asked if he was “into younger men.” From there, the conversations escalated. Vendette, police said, claimed he would act like a father figure but continued to send sexually suggestive messages and shirtless photos.
They agreed to meet at a gas station — but instead of a teen, Vendette was greeted by a camera. The decoy confronted him on video. Someone recognized Vendette in the video and passed along his personal information, authorities said.
The online sleuth handed over all the messages and footage to state police. The person told troopers they believed they had found a “child predator.”
State police then launched their own investigation and uncovered others who said Vendette had behaved similarly toward them, according to the arrest warrant.
Police arrested Vendette last week. He is being held on $75,000 bond.
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