A sting operation conducted by a national motorcycle club has resulted in the arrest of a suspected child predator in southeastern Missouri.
The sting took place on the grounds of the Bernie R-13 school district in Stoddard County, in which a decoy posed as a 13-year-old girl. The 50-year-old suspect initially eluded capture, but was arrested after he crashed his vehicle. The location of the crash site was redacted from a released court document, but the motorcycle club that conducted the sting was Bikers Against Predators. The club also conducted sting operations in Kennet and West Plains within the past week.
Brad Botsch, Superintendent of Bernie R-13 Schools in Stoddard County, revealed on Facebook that the group “Bikers Against Predators” used a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl to apprehend an unidentified man from Dexter, who had been messaging the decoy.
Botsch also noted that the biker group did not notify the school or local police about the operation in advance. The man fled the scene when he realized it was a trap, causing minor property damage on school grounds, which prompted the biker group to contact the police. No Bernie students were involved, and there was no victim.
