Amateur “Predator Sting” Results In Arrest

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, on October 16, the Jefferson County Dispatch received a call from a Houston-based vigilante organization called Predator Poachers Southeast Texas that conducts sting operations on adults who seek sexual activities with minors.Dispatch was advised that they just conducted a sting operation in Fairbury City Park in Fairbury and had an individual that they met there that was seeking to meet with a minor.According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies made contact with the organization at the park and the alleged suspect, who was detained by deputies.All evidence that the organization had was turned over to the the sheriff’s office, which initiated their own investigation into the matter.The suspect was identified Donald D. Boomgaarn Jr., age 25, of Fairbury. The suspect was brought to the Sheriff’s Office. Later in the evening Boomgaarn was booked into the Jefferson County Jail for felony Attempted Sexual Assault by Electronic Device.A video of the sting was posted on the video-sharing platform YouTube and,as of press time, has accumulated more that 1.1 million views.Monday morning, October 21, Boomgaarn appeared in Jefferson County court via Zoom from the Jefferson County Jail. Linda Bauer was the presiding judge.The defendant qualified for court-appointed counsel and Paul Payne was hired to represent him. A bond was set at $40,000.00 (10 percent) with a condition that there be “No Contact with any minors less than 16 years of age.”Boomgaarn is currently being housed at the Jefferson County Jail. This is still an active investigation and information is still being gathered.The allegations accuse the suspect of arranging the meetup with a minor online. CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) warns, “Online predators present another significant threat, particularly to children. Because the nature of the internet is so anonymous, it is easy for people to misrepresent themselves and manipulate or trick other users. Adults often fall victim to these ploys, and children, who are usually much more open and trusting, are even easier targets.”CISA recommends several actions that parents and guardians can take to protect children online:Be involved - Consider activities you can work on together, whether it be playing a game, researching a topic you had been talking about (e.g., family vacation spots, a particular hobby, a historical figure), or putting together a family newsletter. This will allow you to supervise your child's online activities while teaching them good computer habits.Keep your computer in an open area - If your computer is in a high-traffic area, you will be able to easily monitor the computer activity. Not only does this accessibility deter children from doing something they know they're not allowed to do, it also gives you the opportunity to intervene if you notice a behavior that could have negative consequences.Set rules and warn about dangers - Make sure your child knows the boundaries of what they are allowed to do on the computer. These boundaries should be appropriate for the child's age, knowledge, and maturity, but they may include rules about how long they are allowed to be on the computer, what sites they are allowed to visit, what software programs they can use, and what tasks or activities they are allowed to do.Talk to your children - you should also talk to children about the dangers of the internet so that they recognize suspicious behavior or activity. Discuss the risks of sharing certain types of information (e.g., that they're home alone) and the benefits to only communicating and sharing information with people they know. The goal isn't to scare them, it's to make them more aware. Make sure to include the topic of cyberbullying in these discussions (see Dealing with Cyberbullies for more information).Monitor computer activity - Be aware of what your child is doing on the computer, including which websites they are visiting. If they are using email, instant messaging, or chat rooms, try to get a sense of who they are corresponding with and whether they actually know them.Keep lines of communication open - Let your child know that they can approach you with any questions or concerns about behaviors or problems they may have encountered on the computer.Consider partitioning your computer into separate accounts - Most operating systems give you the option of creating a different user account for each user. If you're worried that your child may accidentally access, modify, and/or delete your files, you can give them a separate account and decrease the amount of access and number of privileges they have.

Delbert Wayne Pfingsten

Football Action

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