BRATTLEBORO — A livestreamer’s investigation led to the arrest of Brattleboro resident Hunter Barrett Saturday afternoon after he was accused of inappropriately communicating with a minor child online.
Just after 3 p.m. on July 18, Brattleboro Police were contacted by the online group, “Predator Poachers,” regarding a 21-year-old male who had been communicating with a minor online.
Predator Poachers, run by Alex Rosen, a civilian vigilante based out of Houston, Texas, conducts nationwide online sting operations to expose adults attempting to meet minors for illicit purposes.
In a video posted on his livestreaming site, Rosen confronted Barrett for sending explicit messages and pictures to accounts Rosen managed while presenting as an 11-year-old girl.
Rosen entered Barrett’s apartment after sending a female acquaintance who posed as an 11-year-old to meet with Barrett.
“He was waiting outside to see who he thought was an 11-year-old girl. We go up to him, and two-and-a-half hours later he admitted to trading and receiving child pornography,” Rosen said in the video.
According to a Brattleboro Police Department Facebook post, officers responded to a residence on Main Street Saturday and conducted an investigation, which led to the arrest of Hunter Barrett for the offenses of Luring a Child and Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor.
Police said more charges are expected to be filed and the incident remains under investigation.
Hunter Barrett appeared in court for arraignment on Monday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Windham County Superior Court Judge Michael Kainen issued Barrett specific conditions of release.
“You need to come to court when you’re supposed to. You need to make sure we have your address. Do not engage in any criminal behavior. You cannot have any contact with females under 16. You can’t go up to a girl who’s 14 and start talking to her. You cannot text her. You cannot email her. You can’t have any form of communication with someone who is under 16; you can’t go to playgrounds, you can’t go to schools, you can’t go to parks where children are present,” he said.
Anyone arrested or cited by the Brattleboro Police Department is presumed innocent until convicted of a crime in court.
