BATAVIA, Ohio — Clermont County officials are warning "vigilante groups" against trying to catch alleged predators they are finding online.
The county's police chiefs, sheriff's association and prosecuting attorney said in a release that people have been engaging in "'To Catch a Predator' style undercover stings" where they are confronting people in public places throughout the county.
"To those who engage in this behavior: While we applaud and appreciate your intent, we cannot stress enough the danger of engaging in such conduct," the release says.
Officials said the confrontations can jeopardize law enforcement investigations, put community members at risk and create a situation where the alleged predator could potentially do something deadly when confronted.
Hear more about what prosecutors had to say below:
They also note that it is not a crime to send or receive inappropriate photos or videos from another adult. The crime comes when that "adult" is an officer posing as a child.
"Law enforcement officers have specialized training in these matters and can appropriately handle these matters so as not to jeopardize the prosecution of child predators who would prey on the children in our county," the release says. "Please leave this work to the professionals and please help us keep all citizens of Clermont County safe, by not engaging in potentially dangerous acts or confrontations."
Officials encouraged anyone who believes the person they are talking to is a predator to instead contact police to investigate.
At a press conference on Friday, Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said there were no instances of violence in the county. But he did say that two incidents happened in the past few weeks, including one where a group of young adults posed as children and met up with an alleged predator.
"It turned out neither of these individuals who were caught up in this had violated the law," Tekulve said.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Lara Baron Allen said the office welcomes citizen cooperation, but only when in-step with law enforcement from the beginning.
The current approach many vigilante groups are taking can be unhelpful, she said.
"It really hampers our investigation ... because now the person's tipped off, now they know that they're being investigated," Allen said.
Around two years ago, WPCO covered the day police searched the Goshen Local Schools board president's home after a vigilante group out of Indiana uploaded a video where the man admits to them that he drove hours to Indiana to meet a young girl. He resigned one day after the video was uploaded.
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