MI- Grand Rapids predator sting nets 21 arrests, one is JV coach

10-20-2008 Michigan: (Phase-I)

Grand Rapids Township, MI (WZZM) - Prosecutors today announced the arrests of 21 men in an internet sex sting.

One of them, ____, 20, is a junior varsity soccer coach at Cedar Springs High School.

The Cedar Springs superintendent says team members have been told and parents have been notified.

"He was new to us just started in August and I checked with a couple people and found no complaints any concerns in fact we did a criminal record check as we do with all employees and it came back clean so we had no concerns at that point," said Booth.

Administrators talked to members of the JV soccer team and sent letters home with parents. Superintendent Booth says ____ worked after school hours and had limited contact with the majority of the student body.

Parents are rattled by the allegation and while many attended Monday's foot ball practice there they still trust the cedar springs athletic department.

"I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff and I've never had any problems and I'm really trustworthy in our athletic director," said Dana Hilyer at parent.

The soccer season is over, so _____ is not currently coaching. He has not been fired yet but administrators say his future is in jeopardy.

By law, if _____ is convicted, he cannot coach.

Of the other 20 men arrested, 17 are from Michigan.

Eight of those people are from West Michigan. They range in age from 20 to 65; one even works in a toy store.

"This weekend my worst fears really emerged," said Kent County Sheriff Larry Stelma in a news conference Monday morning.

Stelma said he was naive not to expect this many arrests.

Teaming up with the state's attorney general Kent county investigators chatted with un-suspecting men over several weeks; then set up a decoy home in Grand Rapids Township.

"The defendants all traveled to this decoy location for one chilling reason, to have sex with a child," said State Attorney General Mike Cox.

In video provided by the Attorney General you can see a 65-year-old Indiana man approaching the home, coming in at request of the child decoy, then quickly being arrested.

"Most of those arrested were in possession of condoms and alcohol and other items they were going to use in regard to the child," said Cox. "One of the defendants volunteered when he was arrested he didn't know why he did it, in fact he had just kissed his wife goodbye and put his children to bed."

But given the recent television investigations, many thought the number of internet child predators would drop, when in fact the opposite has happened.

"They think there's so many children out there and that the odds are that it would be a police officer on the other end, the other end of the pc, the other end of the e-mail, is low," said Cox.

Now Sheriff Stelma places responsibility on parents, saying the best way to protect your children is watch them.

"I think the problem is a whole lot broader then what most of us would like to acknowledge," he said.

Of the men accused, eight are from West Michigan.

One is from East Grand Rapids, two are from Wyoming and two from Cedar Springs.

They were all offered $50,000 bail, and now face two to twenty years in prison. ..News Source.. by Nick Monacelli