Decoys working with private citizen groups prompted investigations that led to two arrests on child-solicitation allegations in Jacksonville and Winchester, according to authorities and statements from the groups.
Social media posts by the group Online Predator Intervention said the first happened Saturday. A decoy with the group People v. Preds pretending to be a minor said they set up a meeting in Jacksonville with a man after discussions through the app Grindr.
A second arrest was made Monday in Scott County after Online Predator Intervention said an online decoy with the group 561 Predator Catcher posing as a 13-year-old boy led authorities to Winchester.
In the first arrest, Jacksonville Police were at a meeting location in the parking lot of an East Morton Avenue convenience store about 4:30 p.m. Saturday. They arrested 58-year-old Michael L. Napientek of Jacksonville on charges of grooming and indecent solicitation of a child, according to court records. Both charges are felonies.
Jacksonville Police Lt. Mark Lonergan said Napientek was accused of agreeing to meet a person he thought was a juvenile for sexual purposes and drove to the location to meet them.
Charging documents filed by Morgan County State’s Attorney’s Office accuse Napientek of soliciting a child with the intent to commit aggravated criminal sexual abuse and using a cellphone to solicit sex acts.
During a first court appearance Monday, a judge agreed with prosecutors that Napientek should remain in custody. He was appointed a public defender.
Napientek is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 18.
On Monday, Winchester Police and Scott County Sheriff’s Department deputies went to the home of a man Online Predator Intervention accused of trying to arrange a meeting with a decoy posing as a minor on the Grindr app.
Gilbert E. Wellenreiter, 75, of Winchester was arrested on charges of grooming and indecent solicitation of a minor, according to jail records.
He was booked into jail and later released. Court information about his case was not yet available.
Social media posts about the arrests drew mostly praise for the groups’ efforts, but authorities caution that civilian stings can pose safety risks and also compromise law enforcement investigations.
“We encourage the investigating agency to collect anything of evidentiary value, but that’s up to them to do,” Morgan County Assistant State’s Attorney Chad Turner said. “We will endeavor to use it as appropriate, pursuant to the rules of evidence. I’m not aware of any prohibition that would prevent us from down the road utilizing evidence that is compiled or generated by private citizens. We get that kind of thing all the time.”
