Court Case Victory in Washington State
“A Portland man was acquitted last month after being granted a new trial on appeal, nearly five years after he was convicted in connection with an undercover child sex sting.” (The Columbian, “Portland man arrested in Clark County sting acquitted of child sex abuse in new trial,” Becca Robbins, October 2, 2023)
“His case was featured in an August 2020 story by The New York Times Magazine that explored online-predator stings in Washington.”
It makes a difference when facts are not twisted and are clarified. Most lawyers just haven’t been doing that for these cases. They’ve allowed for prosecutors to lie by omission and misrepresent the facts.
It is an important fact that it was law enforcement who solicited him for sex by posting an ad, first representing themselves as an adult, and placed the ad in the section that is specifically used to solicit other consenting adults for casual sex or a one-night stand. They did not place their ad under “Strictly Platonic” or even under “Dating/Romance”. They placed it under “Casual Encounters/NSA”, which means casual sex or a one-night stand. And more importantly, they confirmed that they had not placed this ad there as a mistake or a misunderstanding. It was clear they were looking for sex. They guided the conversation to sex, jumped on that opportunity, and kept guiding the conversation back to sex. How much more clear could it be? What real 13 year old would be doing that? Yeah right!
On top of that, it was pretty darn clear that this was an adult that for whatever reason enjoyed pretending to be a 13 year old girl who was seeking an adult man for casual sex.
Why have so many people missed all that before?
I ask again, what does any of this have to do with trying to save or protect children from online risk or exploitation? I really hope this is the beginning to people coming to their senses, especially those who work in the criminal justice system.
What would be …amusing…is if two different agencies didn’t know that they were talking to each other, show up for a meetup, and only then find out they were both trying to set up the other side to get arrested.
What would be justice, is if someone/thing had all of that recorded and exposed so everyone else could see what made up crap is done “to protect the children.”
My son was caught in one of these, and the court just let the prosecutor and ICAC law enforcement run the courtroom. The judge gave the prosecutor wide latitude in the courtroom.
I feel your pain, brother. This sounds too much like my case.
My case was out of Oconto Wisconsin back in 2017. I placed an ad looking for an older woman and was still contacted by an undercover police officer. She kept harassing me no matter how many times I told her no. She initiated the conversation and kept on initiating it. Found out at a machner hearing in 2018, they had to ‘ask for permission’ to arrest me. Turns out that Wisconsin had a Business Court pilot project type of deal going on and the judge I had assigned to my case was a part of that. My case was a complete mess. I still have the paperwork from my new attorney proving entrapment after my old attorney was discovered working with the DA behind my back. I’ll go to war with people I don’t care.
Sounds also like my husbands military case. The Judge actually helped the bumbling prosecution many times in the courtroom. They “lost” many of the chats that would have been helpful to the defense and since they had control of his phone there was no way to prove what else was said that could have helped him. He was in Afghanistan and on Ambien given to him by the military. The agent (who was also military) was acting out of Texas and was told not to act outside of his jurisdiction but did it anyhow and the Judge let all of it slide. In the end the agent asked him for a nude photo of himself and he sent it, all while under the influence of drugs given by the military, and that is what the military considers child abuse. Not helping actual children or solving the amount of domestic abuse or veterans homelessness. This is what the military is doing to people so they can meet “numbers” in prosecuting people and the JAGs can get awards and pat themselves on the back. Despicable what our country has come to- no wonder we have recruiting problems and that even civilians don’t trust law enforcement. There is no integrity in it anymore and it’s all about money and power instead of solving real crime and helping real children.
I’m sorry that happened to you and your husband. This is my sons story. I will be on the Registry Matters podcast on Oct 28th if you would like to hear about Jace’s trial.
Met several people in prison for similar stings. Worst part in Michigan is that they tack on the 20 year felony of using a computer to commit a crime. In reality, all such charges should be ATTEMPTING to commit a crime, because the crime was never completed.
In the case cited here, they shouldn’t have even been permitted to retry him, because he had already served the sentence.
Wining is good in many for many on here and the other advocate sites
have already won but don’t know how to go about it. I hope FAC doesn’t post this message as they all want to solve this man’s way as many other thinkers.. Well many see what man’s way has done with this sex registry.
Law enforcement are actually doing evil by the enticement,deceiving, lying and when it all comes down to it they say … you thought… government asking you to sin sounds pretty low if you ask me but that is what they are doing plain and simple… its a game… or do two wrongs make a right.
What happens if the person the police are talking to doesn’t even attempt to meet up? They just go arrest them at their house and give them the same charge as if they had.
Just take the plea deal and you won’t be a felon they said. You can get off the registry in 25 years they promised.
Oops we decided to change the law on you.
I didn’t have a family then and I’m humbled by the fact she chose me despite everything. I only wish I could provide her the life she deserves instead of feeling shameful for being so unemployable. Sometimes I wonder why they waved my probation fees if I was in college. I’ve never been able to use my degree to earn one dollar being employed anywhere that required collegiate education.
These stings are pure entrapment make no mistake. The law argues that it isn’t because the laws are written to avoid the entrapment arguments. But I’ve seen many cases win on entrapment at the state level in FL and federal level. I’ve seen them win in pre-trial on dismissal based on entrapment. I’ve seen them win on appeal on entrapment. I’ve seen them win in trial based on the entrapment defense.
Fortunately I’m still on appeal and never had SO probation. The state knows the entrapment argument very well. I hope everyone finds ways to make it through this war. Keep fighting and keep your head up.
My new attorney proved entrapment at a machner hearing in 2018. The judge of Oconto Wisconsin refused to budge despite the evidence. I found out recently that they have some sort of a Business Court pilot project going on since 2017. How does one fight that sort of corruption?
my only thought and personal opinion here and to note I am not a lawyer nor trying to act as one, but the only avenues left outside of appeal is to try and strike the law. That’s almost near impossible without wins on appeals and civil suits following. Law makers either don’t think about these entrapment stings or they want to keep it on the books because it creates cases which in turn keeps everyone in the criminal “justice” system/machine employed.
Again, I think wins in civil suits, appeals, and entrapment is the only way. Maybe law reviews and public opinion against entrapment might help strike the law as well.
Just my personal opinion. I am not a lawyer. I am not giving any legal advice.
I see Polk County just finished another sting. Judd displaying the pictures and raving about his fight against sex offenders on TV again.
People must be wising up to his endless stings. He only got six this time to brag over…