YouTuber JiDion, right, records as Turlock police officers take Anthony Wyatt, 35, into custody Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, following an investigation into alleged online communications with someone Wyatt believed was a 13-year-old girl. JiDion and his team brought the allegations to police after confronting Wyatt at his Turlock residence.
Courtesy of JiDion/EDP Watch
A popular YouTuber known for confronting suspected online child predators helped lead Turlock police to arrest a 35-year-old man Wednesday after his team uncovered allegedly sexually explicit conversations with someone the man believed was a 13-year-old girl.
Anthony Wyatt of Turlock was arrested around 12:30 p.m. Oct. 7 on suspicion of two felony offenses after an investigation initiated by JiDion, an internet personality whose team travels across the country conducting undercover operations aimed at exposing suspected child predators.
Jidon Adams, better known online as JiDion, told The Bee on Thursday that Wyatt allegedly offered to sell marijuana and cocaine to the person posing as a minor before the conversations turned sexual.
“He admitted to everything,” Adams said of Wyatt’s eventual confrontation with his team. “He admitted everything on camera to us and to the authorities when they arrived.”
Turlock Police Department spokesperson Dominique Roton confirmed that Adams and his team brought the allegations against Wyatt to investigators’ attention after confronting him at his residence Wednesday morning.
“We were notified after they had already spoken with Anthony,” Roton told The Bee. “He was arrested at the scene.”
Police respond to confrontation
After Adams’ team confronted Wyatt, Turlock police officers responded to the residence, followed by detectives who interviewed those involved, he said.
Adams said his team provided investigators with the evidence it had collected, including the online communications and recordings.
“We made sure that they left with all of the evidence,” Adams said.
He also claimed Wyatt admitted to the allegations during his interactions with investigators. Police have not independently confirmed those reported statements.
In its public announcement Wednesday, Turlock police said investigators determined Wyatt had been communicating with someone posing as a minor through social media.
Despite being told the person was 13 years old, Wyatt allegedly continued the conversations and requested sexually explicit photographs, police said.
Wyatt was booked on suspicion of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, and possession of obscene material depicting a minor.
Adams said detectives also discussed the possibility of members of his team returning to Stanislaus County to testify if the case proceeds through the court system.
He said his team would cooperate with prosecutors.
“We show up to court dates, we show up to hearings,” Adams said. “Whatever the prosecutors need, we’ll be there.”
He said his team also confronted two other individuals Wednesday, one in San Jose and another in Davis. Those encounters were separate from the Turlock investigation.
Prosecutors weigh in on civilian predator-catching operations
Stanislaus County Chief Deputy District Attorney Wendell Emerson, who heads the office’s Sexual Violence Unit, said prosecutors have encountered several cases involving private organizations conducting undercover investigations into suspected online child exploitation.
Although the District Attorney’s Office recognizes the work of these groups, Emerson said such investigations are generally safer and more effective when conducted alongside trained law enforcement personnel.
“Coordinated operations help ensure protocols are followed, evidence is properly preserved and safety is maintained in the event of a dangerous in-person encounter,” Emerson said in a written statement to The Bee.
Emerson said civilian-led investigations can present challenges for prosecutors, particularly when those involved lack law enforcement training.
“In some instances, evidence has not been collected or preserved in a manner that meets the standards required for prosecution,” Emerson said.
He added that prosecutors sometimes encounter difficulties securing testimony from members of organizations based outside California.
Emerson also expressed concerns about confrontations in which suspects attempt to flee and civilian investigators use unsafe or improper methods to restrain them.
Despite those concerns, Emerson said the involvement of a private organization does not automatically prevent prosecutors from pursuing criminal charges.
“We do not decline prosecution simply because the predator was discovered by a private group,” Emerson said.
He said the office will pursue cases originating from private undercover investigations when sufficient admissible evidence supports the charges.
Emerson indicated during a separate phone interview Thursday that he expected prosecutors to pursue the Wyatt case, although a formal charging decision had not been independently confirmed.
Adams said his team’s objective is to provide law enforcement with enough evidence to pursue criminal charges, rather than simply confronting suspected offenders for online videos.
“Our whole thing is, you know, we’re not law enforcement,” Adams said. “We can’t put anybody under arrest.”
He said his team wants to make investigations as straightforward as possible for responding detectives and prosecutors.
Inspired by Chris Hansen
Adams, who initially became popular on YouTube through comedy and prank videos, said his decision to pursue online child exploitation investigations was partly inspired by television journalist Chris Hansen, whose “To Catch a Predator” series became known for confronting adults attempting to meet minors online.
“We were definitely inspired by Chris Hansen,” Adams said.
Based in suburban Houston, he said his team travels throughout the country conducting similar operations, with nearly 100 encounters this year alone, according to his estimates.
Last month, the team conducted about 17 operations, he said.
Adams said his goal is to identify people who might otherwise escape the attention of law enforcement.
“We just want to put these guys on the radar of law enforcement where they might have slipped through the cracks,” he said.
His team plans to release the complete video of Wednesday’s confrontation with Wyatt on its subscription website, edpwatch.com, before making it available for free on YouTube, likely by November.
Reflecting on the Turlock arrest, Adams said he hopes the allegations result in accountability through the criminal justice system.
“I just hope justice comes through,” he said.
The case remains under investigation, and Wyatt has not been convicted of the suspected offenses.
