In a series of events that has garnered attention from multiple communities in the Heartland, an organization of do-gooders has demonstrated an out-of-the-box approach to stopping pedophiles.
The group, which is called “Bikers Against Predators,” has been conducting operations to catch sex offenders.
The organization, which is comprised of motorcyclists, employs various methods to hunt these individuals down and aid law enforcement in apprehending them. Recently, the group proved instrumental in catching three different suspects:
There are open investigations in three Heartland communities after an organization held operations to catch sex offenders in each town.
The group ‘Bikers Against Predators’ posted videos they say show Bootheel men who thought they were meeting with minors for sex.
These videos reportedly show men from the Bootheel [Southeast Missouri near the Mississippi River] region attempting to meet up with who they believed were underaged girls–but were really decoys set up by the organization.
Caruthersville MO Chief of Police Terry Privett said:
We are more than willing to work with any organization that’s out here trying to protect the citizens of the United States.
Chief Privett said his department responded to a call from Bikers Against Predators this past weekend.
Officers responded to that location, made contact with members of Bikers Against Predators and basically that organization turned over evidence to the officers that allowed them to initiate a criminal investigation against the suspect.
Now, the suspect has been charged.
According to online court records:
Stephen M. Eubanks of Kennett, Missouri, faces one felony count of enticement or attempted enticement of a child (actor 21 years of age or older and child less than 15 years of age) and one misdemeanor of furnishing pornographic material or attempt to furnish to a minor. His bond was set at $25,000 cash only.
In another case, the organization helped to catch a suspect in the same manner.
A second investigation happened over the weekend. 50-year-old Joseph James Craig of Dexter, MO is now in custody.
Bikers Against Predators called the Bernie Police Department to report property damage after Craig ran into some guide wire with his truck as he abruptly left after the group confronted him on the property of a local school.
According to the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Office, Craig is now facing charges for leaving the scene of an accident, first-degree property damage and driving while revoked/suspended. His bond was set a $10,000 cash only.
On Tuesday, another suspect was apprehended after local police received information from the organization.
McKenzie Q. Surritte, age 29, has been charged with felony enticement or attempted enticement of a child and is being held on a $25,000 cash or surety bond.
According to the probable cause statement, people working for Bikers Against Predators had contacted West Plains Police about a potential sexual predator. Bikers Against Predators is a group that locates potential sexual predators using fake accounts, typically pretending to be a minor. The group member showed police messages between the fake account and Surritte where the suspect attempted to set up a sexual meeting with the fake minor.
In post-Miranda interviews with authorities, Surritte allegedly noted he knew the person he was messaging was a 13-year-old female and asked for photos and sexual favors of the minor.
According to the group’s website:
Bikers Against Predators is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in northern Indiana ‘that is acting against online child predators’ and spreading ‘awareness and education to as many citizens as possible while having these predators face justice for their crimes.’
The response from law enforcement has been mostly positive, if cautionary. Kennett Chief of Police Kenny Wilson told reporters that he commends the group for their operations:
[B]ut we just have to make sure when we get these suspects we do it the right way.
He continued, explaining that law enforcement officers:
[A]re just going to learn a lot from this investigation because it’s not normally how we like to try to do things, so we are going to see what the legal hurdles are going to be.
These reports illustrate how members of the community can take responsibility for addressing crime where they live. However, there are complexities involved, as Wilson noted. The group is clearly doing good work, but if they happen to conduct their operations in a way that prevents the authorities from getting a conviction due to procedural matters, it could allow some of these predators to continue victimizing children.
Nevertheless, the organization’s members seem to know what they are doing. On their website, they state that they have exposed 225 online child predators “with more currently in the process.”
Bikers Against Predators provides a compelling example of how concerned citizens can address problems in their communities as long as they are doing so in a way that does not make the job of law enforcement harder. All in all, the group appears to be doing good work.
