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Cops Catfish Obese Gay College Student Then Arrest Him for Multiple Felonies

Police say it was clear the 22-year-old student was falling for the imaginary 15-year-old they created.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 12.14.2017 10:46 AM

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Austintown Police Department/Facebook

A 22-year-old college student at Ohio's Youngstown State University was arrested after falling for a fictional 15-year-old boy created by local cops.

Austintown police officers used a phony dating-app profile for someone purporting to be an adult to lure in the student earlier this month. After chatting, the catfish "revealed" he was 15 years old. The college student, A.G. (not his full name), indicated he didn't have a problem with his age. The conversation eventually turned sexual and A.G. sent the faux boy some nude photos of himself.

It was clear from the exchanges, police said, that A.G. was developing feelings for the imaginary teen. A.G. described him as "my one and only" and talked about being his husband someday. On December 12, they agreed to meet in person. A.G. showed up at what he thought was the boy's home with homemade chicken alfredo, soda, and lubricant.

Austintown police greeted A.G. instead. They booked him into the Mahoning County Jail, charged with four felonies: importuning, possessing criminal tools, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, and attempted unlawful conduct with a minor.

Justice served?

Somehow it doesn't feel that way. Yes, Ohio law prohibits both sexual activity and sexually-oriented digital communications with minors (or undercover cops pretending to be minors). And no, I don't condone college students trying to hook up with high-schoolers. But interest from someone a few years over 18 in someone just a few years under 18 doesn't necessarily denote deviant sexuality, especially when that interest is circumstantial (A.G. didn't start out looking for someone underage).

This a young man who is about 5'7" and weighs 450 pounds, according to the police report. He is gay in a part of Ohio where that's still really difficult sometimes. I can't imagine finding romantic partners has been easy in this man's life. And then he finds what he thinks is someone reciprocating his flirtations and encouraging his advances and inviting him over to spend time together.

Having a hard time in romance doesn't justify sleeping with teenagers, but in this case, there was no actual teenager and no actual sex; and there's no evidence that he would have looked for an underage sexual or romantic partner on his own.

A.G. was preyed on by police who pretended to be interested and said exactly what he wanted to hear, even after realizing the emotional attachment he was developing and the potential psychological effect this was having on him. And now he will likely be branded a sex offender and a pedophile for life.

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NEXT: Georgia Cop Forced Man to Decapitate His Own Dog—To Find Out If It Had Rabies

Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason.

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  1. Tony   7 years ago

    How the fuck is it a crime to not have sex with someone who doesn't exist?

    1. Rich   7 years ago

      "Goes to intent, Your Honor."

      1. Tony   7 years ago

        I like libertarians on stuff like this. Who is the harmed party in this matter? I can think of only the perp, subject to the American criminal justice system and blue balls.

        1. Rich   7 years ago

          I'm somewhat surprised no one goes after the cops for "bullying".

          1. Tony   7 years ago

            I think it'd be entrapment if not for the particularly sexual nature of our society's mass panics.

            1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

              Entrapment is standard procedure these days.

              1. SQRLSY One   7 years ago

                How bad is it before it becomes "shocking to the conscience?"

                I am waiting for female cops to stand by the roadside, with pillows up their tummies, squatting and squirting ketchup, pretending to be in emergency labor, so that when a Good Samaritan picks her up and... Oooops!!! SPEEDS on the way to the emergency room, he can now be busted for speeding!!! Raise some revenue here!

                WHERE is the limit to this shit, piggy-wiggies?!?!?

                1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

                  WHERE is the limit to this shit, piggy-wiggies?!?!?

                  There is no limit. They do whatever they want. After all, who is going to stop them?

            2. Kivlor   7 years ago

              It appears to be entrapment, at least at the federal level. 37 states and the FedGov use the "subjective" approach to entrapment, which considers the mental state / intent of the defendant. 13 states use the "objective" test which asks "would a normal law-abiding citizen fall prey to this?"

              Sorrells v US is the origin of the subjective test.

              I don't know which states use which test sadly.

            3. BYODB   7 years ago

              I thought that this type of behavior was strictly forbidden by your world view a la Roy Moore. Is it more ok when the guy is gay?

              Not that I'm supportive of this type of behavior by law enforcement. Frankly I actually agree with you here. It's just bizarre to realize that you have absolutely zero consistency.

              1. Hail Rataxes   7 years ago

                It's just bizarre to realize that you have absolutely zero consistency.

                It makes more sense when you realize it's Tulpa trying to make you dance.

              2. Tony   7 years ago

                I do make a distinction between child victims who are real and fictitious.

                1. BYODB   7 years ago

                  So intent doesn't matter to you. That's a new claim to be making.

            4. Joe Blowski   7 years ago

              the obvious defense. however, cops are totally allowed to lie to trick a suspect.

          2. Citizen X - #6   7 years ago

            #ItGetsBetter #ExceptWhenTheBulliesCanLockYouUpOrKillYou

            1. Microaggressor   7 years ago

              BULLY!

            2. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

              Makes me think of some study I heard discussed lately, which was basically that for many victims of bullying it does not actually get better. In fact, the bullies tend to do better at life than the bullied.

              I, of course, question this study and their methodology, but kind of a sobering statement nonetheless.

              1. BYODB   7 years ago

                Kids mostly bully kids who are 'different' in some form, and to say that those who are 'different' don't do as well in life, in general, is likely true since all societies tend to value conformity.

                That said, all the bullies from my high school ended up changing the oil in my vehicle or becoming cops so...yeah. They're not doing so well. Likely because a 'bully' is likely to be a lower intelligence individual or someone with serious issues at home, which are both factors that don't correlate very well with 'success'.

                1. Juice   7 years ago

                  or becoming cops so...yeah. They're not doing so well.

                  Not doing well? They became gods.

              2. Chipper Morning Baculum   7 years ago

                Unless the victim runs into Lorne Malvo at the hospital.

                1. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

                  Unless the victim runs into Lorne Malvo at the hospital.

                  Aces!

        2. Incomprehensible Bitching   7 years ago

          Libertarians are crazy, except when they're exactly right!

          1. Tony   7 years ago

            Everyone agrees with you about something.

            1. Chipper Morning Baculum   7 years ago

              Yes, everyone agrees with us when they are the ones getting shafted, but not when they are the shafters. We are the only ones with a strict no shafting policy.

              1. Citizen X - #6   7 years ago

                Unless it's consensual. Consensual shafting is fine.

                1. Chipper Morning Baculum   7 years ago

                  Is it ever.

              2. EscherEnigma   7 years ago

                Um, what?

                Just to pull a recent example, look at the debate over the SALT and mortgage interest deductions. A fair number of y'all are all for "shafting" folks that have been using those decades-old deductions, often with an explicit "suck it California" message.

                You guys are just as big of hypocrites as everyone else.

                1. SIV   7 years ago

                  Pay your fair share, commie.

        3. Inigo Montoya   7 years ago

          "I like libertarians on stuff like this."

          So join us?we are great on a lot of things like this. If you think only former conservatives can become libertarian, think again. I started out in life on the left side of the political spectrum. The older I got, the more I realized our "leaders" (all of 'em, no matter their D or R) were totally full of shit. They want to rule you and me, period. All their talk about "helping," "public service," etc. is just a smokescreen. They might as well be the nobles and aristocrats of old, and we are the serfs.

          1. Microaggressor   7 years ago

            So did I, but my conversion was due to learning economics and realizing the Daily Show had been lying to me for most of my teenage years.

            Tony still doesn't believe in the value of property rights. There's no such thing as a plundering libertarian, by definition.

            1. Juice   7 years ago

              I really can't imagine what it would be like to grow up or be a teenager in the 2000s. It has to be the worst. It seems like there has been a distinct lack of personal freedom for kids that they used to have in previous generations.

          2. Juice   7 years ago

            I was never a conservative and I hated them all through high school and college (because I grew up in Louisiana and conservative really just meant ignorant racist hick, theocratic religious nut, or both). So I just assumed that I must be a liberal (I am).It just took me longer to realize that I wasn't "that kind" of liberal that would vote for Democrats and love taxes and social engineering.

          3. EscherEnigma   7 years ago

            No.

        4. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   7 years ago

          Look, if it's unregulated...

        5. Kyfho Myoba   7 years ago

          It's times like this that make me think that there's hope for Tony.

          Now, if he can only generalize this sentiment to commercial activity, he will be well on the road to enlightenment.

    2. Unlabelable MJGreen   7 years ago

      We decided it's a crime, Tony.

      1. Tony   7 years ago

        If only we had a libertarian-deity to decide these things for us.

        1. Chipper Morning Baculum   7 years ago

          There are no libertarian deities. That's the point, holmes.

          1. IceTrey   7 years ago

            Uh, Flying Spaghetti Monster.

            1. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

              No. I've met a piko commie or two of liked the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

              1. Mitsima   7 years ago

                They weren't from that blasphemous sect that insists the FSM is actually gluten-free, where they? I hate those guys.

      2. Incomprehensible Bitching   7 years ago

        +1 civilization and society!

    3. bevis the lumberjack   7 years ago

      Look at the picture in the article - the obvious pride these guys have in keeping non-existent people safe.

      If only they had the same concern for folks who actually, you know, are real people.

      1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

        Crime victims deserve what they get. It's their fault. If they didn't leave doors unlocked or walk around at night, then then criminals wouldn't go after them. So cops don't give a shit. Why investigate something that could have been prevented? It's a waste of time. Victimless crimes on the other hand, those are are totally worth all the time and effort it takes to bust people. But crimes with actual victims? Meh. Cops don't care.

        1. Incomprehensible Bitching   7 years ago

          Solving real crime is hard.

          Setting people up is easy.

          1. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

            And when you set people up, you've recorded the entire thing. That makes the convictions so much easier.

        2. StackOfCoins   7 years ago

          Police work in inherently reactive. A bad thing happens, then the cops get called.

          This is something else. In the mind of the cop, they're PREVENTING a FUTURE crime. They think they're Minority Report. Never mind they are locking up a flesh-and-blood human who never actually did anything criminal. That he showed up is evidence, to them, that he is dangerous to society. Eventually, this man would have seduced their sons, or some such nonsense.

          They're undoubtedly big fans of To Catch a Predator.

          1. BYODB   7 years ago


            Eventually, this man would have seduced their sons, or some such nonsense.

            Judging from their behavior, it seems they might be more concerned about their sons seducing men in their 20's.

    4. ALWAYS RIGHT   7 years ago

      Impure thoughts can not only send you to hell; they can send you to prison.

    5. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

      In the 1990's it became illegal to look at a cartoon of a kid in a sexual situation. The logic was that those images create a market for child porn that leads to actual children being harmed. The 1st Amendment fight went up to the Supreme Court where the court upheld the law. So, you can get arrested for having a picture of Bart Simpson masturbating on your smart phone.

      In Canada, you can get arrested for child porn if you have a text only story describing minors in a sexual situation.

    6. Joe Blowski   7 years ago

      He did take a "substantial step" toward the commission of a crime. We don't know all the details here, but this is the basis i suppose of an attempted sex with a minor charge.

      if you shoot at your enemy who's sitting on a park bench but find out it was actually a sack of potatoes, you still get attempted murder even though the murder was actually an impossibility. Confusion on facts is not a defense.

      1. Starchild   7 years ago

        Did he? Did they make any plans to actually have sex, or simply to get together? Is having lubricant on you when you make plans to hang out with a minor now a crime, akin to firing a gun at what you think is an actual person? Could he not have brought the lube because he planned to masturbate on his own? Seems to me there's plenty of room for reasonable doubt there.

        But technicalities aside, this kind of entrapment, or catfishing, is totally wrong. If the cops think it's fine to go after people in this manner, then they themselves should all be subjected, periodically during their careers, to situations in which undercover internal affairs operatives pretending to be suspects taunt and abuse them in an effort to entrap them into committing misconduct ? which shouldn't be difficult, given how much they do it already ? so that they can be arrested and charged.

    7. Joe Blowski   7 years ago

      He did take a "substantial step" toward the commission of a crime. We don't know all the details here, but this is the basis i suppose of an attempted sex with a minor charge.

      if you shoot at your enemy who's sitting on a park bench but find out it was actually a sack of potatoes, you still get attempted murder even though the murder was actually an impossibility. Confusion on facts is not a defense.

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  2. Will Nonya   7 years ago

    They get away with this due to the unsympathetic nature of their targets.

    If only this guy had the good sense to have been in 'law enforcement' the worse he'd have to worry about is a paid vacation and a union covering his legal fees.

  3. Brandybuck   7 years ago

    ""The conversation eventually turned sexual and A.G. sent the faux boy some nude photos of himself.""

    Standard operating procedure for many New York politicians.

  4. chemjeff   7 years ago

    possessing criminal tools

    Chicken alfredo is a criminal tool?

    I suppose if Crusty makes it, but still...

    1. Quo Usque Tandem   7 years ago

      Well THAT sure put me off my lunch.

    2. Rich   7 years ago

      A good chef always puts a little of himself into every dish.

      1. Chipper Morning Baculum   7 years ago

        Mental note: do not accept any more dinner invitations from Rich.

    3. HazelMeade   7 years ago

      I'm guessing they were referring to the lube.

  5. Hank Stamper   7 years ago

    The officer who created a profile on the app in November says he was contacted by Maruna on December 5.

    If this is accurate then it was over a week period. Not exactly a very long time to get emotionally attached to someone. I was expecting from ENB's account that this was over a month(s) long period of contact.

    "This a young man who is about 5'7" and weighs 450 pounds"

    - So I can't get laid so I can rape defense? That don't fly with me.

    1. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

      You've never been an excessively lonely, deformed, shut-in if you think a week is too short to become emotionally attached.

      1. Citizen X - #6   7 years ago

        Especially if someone is making an intensive effort to get you emotionally attached to them (in this case, so they can throw you in prison for as long as possible).

        1. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

          I really want to be your friend. Message me.

          🙂

          1. Chipper Morning Baculum   7 years ago

            You know Citizen X misses your special massages.

            1. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

              You sound cool - let's get to know each other.

              🙂 🙂 🙂

    2. mad.casual   7 years ago

      It's funny how separate parts of the article set off the same alarm bells. I read 'earlier this month' and 'December 12th' and thought 'that was quick!' and read "He is gay in a part of Ohio where that's still really difficult sometimes." and thought similarly; I live in a part of the United States where it can sometimes be hard for a guy to get laid generally so just expand the pool arbitrarily as I see fit, right?

      1. mad.casual   7 years ago

        It was clear from the exchanges, police said, that A.G. was developing feelings for the imaginary teen. A.G. described him as "my one and only" and talked about being his husband someday.

        Oh, sure, but describe a woman as "Mine. All mine!" and insist that she call you "Daddy" after the second date and they'll brand you as a creep.

        1. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

          You need to learn to ignore the rabble.

          1. mad.casual   7 years ago

            I kinda wonder what it says about ENB that the guy, in a week's worth of chatting, uses the phrase 'my one and only' and describes himself as 'husband' and she's hooked (despite him being a 450 lb., gay maybe-pedophile).

            1. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

              Probably sounds similar to me, that this guy was a sad and lonely individual. And these facts don't suddenly justify tricking them into committing crimes.

        2. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

          In certain neighborhoods, it's bad manners to ask the woman you date, "Who's your Daddy?" because paternity is rarely known.

    3. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

      The guy was 20. It's normal for him for fall in love within a week. On the other hand, by the time one becomes divorced and 40 ... oh never mind.

  6. Juice   7 years ago

    Goddamn, cops are pathetic.

    1. ALWAYS RIGHT   7 years ago

      The next time that a cop is assassinated, comment your Libertarian regrets. Keep believing that there is Libertarian training that will transform a psychopath into a nice guy.

      1. Juice   7 years ago

        I can't keep believing something I have never believed.

  7. Charles.H.Anziulewicz@wv.   7 years ago

    In most U.S. states the age of consent is 16, so I suppose fictional 15-year-olds are not having sex. Or something.

    1. Trollificus   7 years ago

      Well, fictional sex.

      I know I was having ACTUAL sex when I was 15...and it was with underage girls, though our current and seemingly arbitrary definition of majority flies in the face of biology (as I observed at the time).

      1. 1980-f   7 years ago

        Didn't you know that, if you want to be thought of as up with the latest trends, biology does not exist? Everything in humanity is a social construct. I chose the colour of my eyes because I'm a male and hence a creep.

  8. Roger the Shrubber   7 years ago

    Seeing how this poor fellow's mental health was harmed by his inability to find a sexual partner, I support government funded medically prescribed sex.

    I also support an elimination of licensing regulation so that I can declare myself a competent psychologist able to proscribe sex treatment.

    Sex workers, being that they are paid by the government as health care providers, are obligated to provide their service to anyone with a prescription.

    1. Careless   7 years ago

      Are you unaware of such things actually existing?

    2. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

      Federal regulations force everyone to have health insurance and require health insurance to cover mental health. When you add the cost of pills and doctor visits, that means society pays $500 per month to treat someone with depression, more if he treats it with multiple prescriptions. A Sex robots goes for a few thousand dollars now, which means it pays for itself if you can scientifically prove that it is a medical device capable of making sad people happy. Hmmm ... it may be time for me to start a medical research company.

      1. EscherEnigma   7 years ago

        IIRC, studies have shown that having sex more then once a week doesn't do much for overall happiness (just momentary happiness). So having personal sex bots would probably be like having a home gym: convenient for the user, but not typically a money saver.

        So I'm thinking robot brothels with "Medicare Tuesday Special" or something.

        That said, I remember an article (last year I think) about some guy in London that was trying to get a "robot blowjob" bar off the ground. No idea if he ever got it all set-up or if it did well.

  9. Quo Usque Tandem   7 years ago

    Is this no different than the prostitution stings law enforcement carries out when they need to ramp up their arrest record? As when a female police officer poses as a prostitute and the "John" only has to offer money in exchange for sex, then is arrested and his mug publicized to insure public shame and infamy? And maybe cause him to lose his job in the balance not to mention problems on the home front?

    1. EscherEnigma   7 years ago

      Generally speaking, the victim has to suggest the illegal activity. If the cop suggests illegal actions first, it's entrapment.

      That said, unless the cops really fucked up, the guy is hosed. Getting off because entrapment is rare.

      1. Fuck you, Shikha (Nunya)   7 years ago

        Getting off? Phrasing, man! Phrasing.

  10. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

    This a young man who is about 5'7" and weighs 450 pounds, according to the police report. He is gay in a part of Ohio where that's still really difficult sometimes. I can't imagine finding romantic partners has been easy in this man's life. And then he finds what he thinks is someone reciprocating his flirtations and encouraging his advances, saying what he wants to hear, and inviting him over to spend time together.

    That's what we thought about Jared from Subway, too - then he lost weight, made millions, and kept buggering children.

    1. mad.casual   7 years ago

      kept buggering children.

      Is this a fact? I don't mean to defend a pedophile (more accurately, potentially convict/indict another one) but I don't recall any actual abuse victims from the Fogle story any more than the story above.

      My armchair investigation/witnessing of the case was that Fogle expressed interest in late-teen underage girls and bought pornography with minors and that the guy(s) associated with the pornography more directly went free for testifying against Fogle.

      Again, not to defend Fogle, just that it seems pertinent in a story where the author says, "a few years under 18 doesn't necessarily denote deviant sexuality" and "didn't start out looking for someone underage."

      1. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

        Fogle did ask a woman to install a webcam in her children's room so he could watch them, so there is that.

        1. mad.casual   7 years ago

          Apparently, if he'd asked her nicely over some chicken alfredo and soda, we'd be giving the kids' mom the libertarian heave-ho for rolling over on him to the cops.

          Point being neither case actually involved specific sex or a direct victim/assailant, right?

      2. StackOfCoins   7 years ago

        Can we stop calling people with an interest in teens "pedophiles"? Pedophiles are exclusively attracted to children, not people a few years away from being legal adults.

        1. mad.casual   7 years ago

          Pedophiles are exclusively attracted to children, not people a few years away from being legal adults.

          Pedophile, pedophile, pedophile. You can wrap it in the 1st Am. and shove it up your ass.

          The latest word that I hear is sexuality isn't fixed at birth and that even once "fully developed", is better conceived of as potentially fluid or malleable. Further, the 'age is just a number' sword cuts both ways. The attraction isn't specifically to a low number or, necessarily a specific physio-type as much as exercising power and/or corruption over the naive and innocent.

          I don't 100.00% buy into either/any of the above but am not going to lose sleep over calling someone who blatantly seeks to have sex with a minor (in either manner described above) by the wrong descriptor.

          1. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

            "much as exercising power and/or corruption over the naive and innocent."

            You realize that in this scenario that was the guy arrested, right?

            1. mad.casual   7 years ago

              You realize that in this scenario that was the guy arrested, right?

              Jared Fogle, A.G., or any arrest scenario? As libertarians I'm really beginning to lose track of when we like pedophiles and sexual assaulters and when they're just deplorables.

          2. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

            Okay, Mad.casual, then you are an alligator, because the meaning of words don't matter if your emotions are strong enough. If you don't believe the DSM, at least agree with Webster.

          3. 1980-f   7 years ago

            "The latest word that I hear" in your anti-paedo vigilante group is not to be taken on trust. The research is pretty clear that male sexuality is almost entirely formed by birth or shortly thereafter. Female sexuality seems to be a little more flexible. It is a long-discredited myth that paedophiles (those unfortunate men and women attracted to prepubescents) have an attraction not to the child but to having power over him or her. It is a sexual orientation no more or less than any other, as repugnant as that might feel to you. Look up a bit of research if you can dare to have it on your browser. It does exist, although scientists are highly discouraged by society from investigating these matters.

      3. fafalone   7 years ago

        One of Fogles charges was patently absurd; having sex with someone of legal age in their state (17), except since he crossed state lines to get to her the higher federal age of consent (18) suddenly applies and it's now a crime, where it would have been perfectly legal had he lived in the same state as the girl. Of course the other charge being real, actual, CP CP (not teenagers; some were 6), it's hard to have too much sympathy.

      4. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

        This Times article said that 54% of young Americans sext before they are 18 years old. That means a Generation Z American is in the minority if he doesn't produce something that counts as child porn in Canada before he can vote.

        From the article:
        For younger teens, set a bright line. Tell them sexting is off limits?period. (For some families, this might be a real challenge, as indicated by another new study on the link between sexting and sex among middle schoolers.) Most of the time, those who are in middle school or even in ninth or 10th grade don't have the experience to comprehend the impact that sexting can have.

        "They do not understand how powerful it is?how other people might be aroused by seeing a provocative photo of them," says Barbara Greenberg, a clinical psychologist in Fairfield County, Conn., with a focus on adolescents and families.

        Umm yeah. The experts helping us shape cultural norms believe the average 10th grader doesn't know that you can get a boner from seeing a naughty picture.

        1. Trollificus   7 years ago

          And that's why they get paid the big bucks.

    2. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   7 years ago

      NY Post headline.

  11. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

    He brought along some lubricant?

    A proactive, understanding lover deserves to be locked up.

    1. Careless   7 years ago

      two types!

      1. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

        Throw away the key!

      2. Citizen X - #6   7 years ago

        Three, if you count the alfredo sauce.

        1. Trollificus   7 years ago

          Ba-dum *ching!*

    2. Microaggressor   7 years ago

      Straight privilege is not having to bring "criminal tools" to your hookup.

      1. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

        Carrying a condom with you can become grounds for prosecuting you for prostitution (if you are a woman) or trying to hire a prostitute (if you are a man).

  12. Rebel Scum   7 years ago

    I fail to see how these types of operations are not entrapment. And when the cops do drug stings they are either a) engaging in an activity that they are trying to arrest others for or b) not selling actual drugs so no crime takes place. This situation is the latter. The 15 yo does not exist, so there is no crime.

    1. BestUsedCarSales   7 years ago

      It's only done because people trust police, and thus let them do what they want.

      1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

        Show me someone who trusts the police and I'll show you someone who is either connected to law enforcement, or someone who has never interacted with the police beyond traffic violations. Which shows how little real crime there is in this country. By "real" crime I mean crimes with actual victims. Show me a crime victim and I'll show you someone who has learned that cops are lazy thugs who cannot be trusted to tell the time without lying.

        1. Rebel Scum   7 years ago

          beyond traffic violations

          I have only interacted via traffic violations, which are not exactly horrible crimes (unless you're in VA). Each time they were complete dicks from the outset. All I received was contempt and disrespect for doing a few mph "too fast". Fucking assholes, the lot of them.

          1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

            Last speeding ticket I got the cop told me that I was trying to catch up to the traffic in front of me, and that's why he gave me the ticket. I wanted to tell him that I was actually driving my daughter to school for the first time, didn't know where the place was, and was too busy looking at street signs to check my speed. But had I done so I would have contradicted a police officer, and that is a very bad idea.

            1. Rebel Scum   7 years ago

              I had one statey in an unmarked car tailgate me for a few miles. I kept inching up my speed to attempt to create a safer distance between cars. Started at 70, got up to 80 and then come the lights/siren right as I was getting on an off-ramp. I proceeded through the ramp and pulled in to an empty church parking lot. He asked why I was going so fast and why I didn't stop sooner (in a rather disrepectful contemptuous tone). I said, "you were tailgating me and I wanted to create a safer gap between our vehicles. And would you prefer I stop on a heavily trafficked ramp during rush-hour?" He scoffed and went to write the ticket.

              1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

                "And would you prefer I stop on a heavily trafficked ramp during rush-hour?"

                I'm sure he wanted you to stop on the ramp specifically because it would cause a traffic jam. Cops take great pleasure in inconveniencing others.

          2. fafalone   7 years ago

            I'd take contempt and disrespect; it can be worse. One time a cop went to pull me over for speeding, but there were no shoulders and walls on both sides, so to stop would have meant stopping dead in an active lane with high-speed heavy traffic. So I slowed down, put on my blinkers, and waved to indicate I saw him and planned to stop, which I did as soon as I could actually pull off the road. Huge mistake. I was ordered out of the car and on to the ground at gunpoint as 5 more cars joined in. Apparently the law really does require you to stop dead in heavy traffic and they assumed I was fleeing. At 15mph. With my blinkers on. They let me go with a warning, mostly because it was my birthday, but me and the 3 girls in my car didn't like being held at gunpoint very much.
            My view was only reinforced later when I watched 5 cops huddle together and talk right in front of me about how they were going to fabricate testimony against me after they realized they raided me on bad information and found nothing.

    2. sarcasmic   7 years ago

      They're not entrapment because courts are no longer a check on power.

    3. Juice   7 years ago

      engaging in an activity that they are trying to arrest others for

      They just want to invite you to their Play Pen.

  13. Charles Easterly   7 years ago

    This is my only comment with regards to this article.

  14. Inigo Montoya   7 years ago

    As much as I don't like cops, I can't help wondering what kind of shame so many of them must feel.

    Can you imagine being that burly but not particularly smart kid who grew up watching cop TV shows and movies like "Die Hard," fantasizing about catching serial killers and the like, only to end up writing speeding tickets, or even worse, ruining the life of some poor schmuck like this young gay man, who did nothing wrong other than think unapproved thoughts about a fictional person?

    If these cops had any decency, they would think about suicide. They are failures in life.

    1. Tony   7 years ago

      You can only presume that they enjoy fucking up perfectly decent people's lives for no good reason. I cannot imagine someone would stay in a job that requires that on a daily basis if they didn't actually like doing it.

      1. mad.casual   7 years ago

        You can only presume that they enjoy fucking up perfectly decent people's lives for no good reason.

        Given pretty much every other interaction I've seen or had with you on this website, I can only surmise that your definition of "perfectly decent people" is dramatically different from my definition.

    2. sarcasmic   7 years ago

      I know several people who worked as police officers and quit shortly after. They described the job as "spreading pain and misery." They took the job because they wanted to help people, but quickly learned that cops do not help. They harm.

      So I can tell you that cops feel no shame. People who feel shame quit.

      1. BYODB   7 years ago

        Amusingly the police chief here in Dallas is trying to fill something like ~200 police officer jobs and is bitching because 'Millennial's' don't want to become officers. I can't help think that maybe, just maybe, most people regardless of their age don't want to become revenue generators for the City.

        We already know they don't want anyone with above a room temperature IQ becoming officers, in fact they prohibit it most of the time, so that says a whole lot right there about the 'job'.

        1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

          Looks like all the anti-bullying efforts in public schools have backfired. They've created a generation that considers bullying to be wrong, and now they can't find anyone who wants to be a professional bully.

          1. BYODB   7 years ago

            That and the quote I heard on the radio is that cops here in Dallas are paid something like 40-50k a year which...sounds like a lot of money to some people but really it's jack shit here in the city. I made only slightly less than the low end of that spectrum when I was still in college.

            1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

              Most cops double their pay with overtime.

            2. Longtobefree   7 years ago

              Yeah, really.
              I mean there is that guy who makes gazillions per hour online who is always posting here - - - - - -

            3. Arizona_Guy   7 years ago

              "40-50k a year" is that starting pay or median pay?

              Don;t forget the job security, pension, and good bennies.

              1. BYODB   7 years ago

                They didn't specify on the radio, so my guess is Sarcasmic is correct above in that it's not a 'real' number. I suspect that was just the base salary.

            4. Juice   7 years ago

              That's base pay. Tack on overtime and bonuses and you're probably looking at closer to 60 - 80k for most cops. 80 - 100 k for cops in the big coastal cities.

              1. mad.casual   7 years ago

                Also, at one point, municipalities as part of gentrification programs, were offering loan discounts and preferential rates to LEOs. So even if you only truly made base pay you could effectively cherry-pick a property and get a discounted loan in a red-hot neighborhood that just happens to be undergoing gentrification because of the slum that's a mile or so down the road.

    3. Crusty Juggler   7 years ago

      I can't help wondering what kind of shame so many of them must feel.

      Every law enforcement officer who participated in this has no shame.

    4. Paloma   7 years ago

      Cops actually do have a high rate of suicide.

      1. Cloudbuster   7 years ago

        Not high enough.

  15. Fist of Etiquette   7 years ago

    So what happened to the teen? Did he get in trouble? The article doesn't say.

    1. Cloudbuster   7 years ago

      He's in a cell next to Haven Monahan.

  16. HazelMeade   7 years ago

    I wonder if any of the cops involved were the same guys who had bullied him for being gay in high school.

    1. sarcasmic   7 years ago

      Count on it.

    2. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   7 years ago

      The cops spend their days on a gay dating site. Who's bullying whom?

  17. Bra Ket   7 years ago

    "This a young man who is about 5'7" and weighs 450 pounds, according to the police report."

    I like how you included the height for us here. Strike one: he's short, strike two: he's DISGUSTINGLY OBESE, and strike three: he lives in Ohio.

    Or maybe, for all we knew he might be eleven feet tall and able to pull off 450 pounds without looking overweight.

  18. Cloudbuster   7 years ago

    He is gay in a part of Ohio where that's still really difficult sometimes.

    Is ENB speaking from her no doubt vast experience of the Youngstown, OH young adult scene?

    I'd say being 5'7" and 450 lb. is a LOT harder than being gay when trying to get a date.

    1. StackOfCoins   7 years ago

      Yes, but it's probably easier to be openly gay in, say, California than it is in Ohio

      1. Cloudbuster   7 years ago

        Did you know Columbus, OH has one of the largest gay communities outside San Francisco? It's super gay-friendly. Cleveland, an hour away from Youngstown, is also gay-friendly.

        Youngstown itself has:

        Mineshaft

        Pride Center of Greater Youngstown
        1523 Poland Avenue
        Youngstown OH 44502 Mapquest map to this site
        Email: youngstownpridecenter@gmail.com
        Web Site
        Comment: A Community Center for Youngstown's LGBTQ Community

        Pride Youngstown
        Youngstown OH
        Web Site: http://prideyoungstown.org/
        Hours/Meets: Pride Youngstown is a registered 501(c)3 organization incorporated in the state of Ohio and is 100 percent volunteer-run. None of our volunteers, members, or officers receive any compensation. Our annual June Celebration takes more than 5,000 volunteer hours to produce, along side our other initiatives, which require more volunteers than ever.

        YSUnity LGBTQIA
        C/O YSU Student Activities, 1 University Plaza
        Youngstown OH 44555 Mapquest map to this site
        Phone: (330) 941-3597
        Email: YSUnity@gmail.com
        Web Site: http://ysunity.webs.com/
        Comment: Youngstown State University's only LGBTQIA organization

        I know young adults from rust belt Ohio. Among that age, being gay simply isn't much of a stigma, anymore.

        1. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   7 years ago

          Being gay wasn't that big of a stigma even when it was a stigma. I grew up in flyover country, where there were gun racks in the back of every trucks, and cowboy hats were not worn 'ironically'.

          While I have no doubt that back in the 50s it was probably impossible to be gay, as far back as the 80s, few people gave a shit.

          1. Vernon Depner   7 years ago

            I believe the fad of male-to-female "transgenderism" among youth is evidence that homophobia is alive and well among them.

    2. mad.casual   7 years ago

      Is ENB speaking from her no doubt vast experience of the Youngstown, OH young adult scene?

      Shut up CB! You're spoiling the narrative that backwards white, Christian yokels still drag gays to death behind their pickup trucks for fun on the weekends.

      1. Cloudbuster   7 years ago

        Only if the gay kid is a redneck riding a skateboard and the last thing he said before it happened was "Hold my beer and watch this!"

    3. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   7 years ago

      Deee-Lite was from Youngstown Ohio, don't tell me the don't have a hot scene in Youngstown.

  19. Longtobefree   7 years ago

    Really?
    homemade chicken alfredo, soda, and lubricant.
    possessing criminal tools (I note that this is a plural)
    So is the soda or the chicken Alfredo the other criminal tool? Or both? Or is the lubricant not and the food is?
    These details are important in a story of this significance.

    1. Rubbish!   7 years ago

      The chicken alfredo is the lubricant

    2. Fist of Etiquette   7 years ago

      Police asset seized all three. They have all since been... misplaced.

      1. Rogers1234   7 years ago

        Meaning eaten, drank and appropriated for their own personal use

  20. sharmota4zeb   7 years ago

    A.G. was preyed on by police who pretended to be interested and said exactly what he wanted to hear, even after realizing the emotional attachment he was developing and the potential psychological effect this was having on him. And now he will likely be branded a sex offender and a pedophile for life.

    So basically, the cops groomed him so that they could look like heroes.

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