LAKE COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio sheriff’s office is advising against “vigilantes” posing as minors on social media in efforts to catch “suspects.”
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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve become aware of multiple incidents of private citizens conducting their own investigations to expose people they believe are trying to solicit sexual activity from minors on social media and other internet sources.
In these reports, the “vigilantes” pretend to be under the age of 16 and spend a “substantial amount of time” communicating with the adult “suspects” online.
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After agreeing to meet, the “vigilantes” confront them at the meetup and then call deputies to ask them to arrest the “suspects.”
“Our Deputies have attempted to explain that arrests in these situations are not possible- this has been met with dismay,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office went on to say they “strongly discourage private citizens from conducting law enforcement activity.”
“Private individuals jeopardize their safety when confronting someone in this situation and create a volatile situation without law enforcement involvement,” the office said.
The office also cited Ohio Revised Code, which “requires the person posing as an underage person in the communications to be Law Enforcement.”
“The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is very serious about prosecuting sexual offenders. Our SORN Unit is among the most (if not the most) knowledgeable and competent in the state. If you conduct these types of private investigations, you are inhibiting the investigation, not helping,” the office said.
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