Madison County won’t prosecute ‘predator hunter’ unless he violates agreement | State and Regional

KTS Predator Hunters founder has escaped legal danger but is no longer able to operate in Madison County.

Prosecutors have dropped three charges against Kyle Swanson, who gained notoriety by posing as underage girls in online chats, dating men, videotaping the confrontations and posting them on social media.

The charges, including an indictment of unlawful restraint, could be resumed if Swanson fails to abide by the terms of an agreement he has signed. Most importantly, he promised to stop his “stab” operations in the county.

“The point is, Kyle Swanson was innocent and the charges were dropped,” said his attorney Don Weber, a retired prosecutor and judge who came out to represent him.

“He should have got a medal for his performance,” added Weber.

In May, Swanson was charged in a criminal complaint on January 12 of luring a 19-year-old man into his vehicle on false pretenses, denying him exit and beating him.

The BND does not name the man because he has not been charged with a crime.

A grand jury reviewed evidence from an Illinois State Police investigation prior to indicting Swanson of unlawful restraint and one obstruction of justice / destruction of evidence, both class 4 felons; and a charge of assault, a Class C offense.

As of last week, a trial on Swanson’s case was scheduled for Monday in the Madison County District Court.

That was canceled on Friday when Associate Justice Neil Schroeder signed an order establishing a “Deferred Prosecution Agreement” in which Attorney Tom Haine agreed to withdraw all three charges and Swanson agreed to adhere to a list of conditions to keep.

—No violation of criminal law in the United States.

– Stop sting operations in Madison County.

– Cooperate on pending cases involving past stitches.

– Get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

– Complete 20 hours of community service.

The agreement stated that Swanson’s chances of employment would be adversely affected by law enforcement and that it was in the public’s best interest to work and lead a “law-abiding life.”

“It is the policy of this office to give first-time offenders, especially those with honorable military service, due consideration when processing cases,” Haine said on Tuesday. “We try to reconcile the demands of justice with a culture of the second chance.”

KTS Predator Hunters was a limited liability company that Swanson founded as a not-for-profit organization in 2018. One of his Facebook groups, KTS: Stop Sexual Assault, had more than 51,000 followers before disbanding the company this summer.

KTS leaders argued that their operations resulted in arrests of pedophiles, but they have also been criticized by law enforcement for being vigilant that could undermine investigations and prosecutions.

Swanson, 31, has lived in several metropolitan areas in the east. In July, he received permission from Judge Schroeder to move to Fort Worth, Texas, where his sister works as a police officer and he found a temporary job.

“In the incident in question, no one was injured in this case and the defendant has no history of violence in the background,” says Weber’s motion to change the loan terms.

“The defendant is a veteran and was honorably discharged from his country’s service after serving in the US Army in Iraq.”

In September Weber requested an “inventory” asking prosecutors to provide a better description of what Swanson was accusing of breaking the law, questioning the three charges against him, and providing more details about the incidents. 12th

The motion alleged that Swanson was working with law enforcement, including an agent from the US Intelligence Service’s Child Sexual Crimes Division, when he met and videotaped the 19-year-old man.

Roxana Police Cpl. Dan Jensen discussed this collaboration in a report. He said a Secret Service agent spoke to him about a KTS agent driving a suspected pedophile to the police station and telling him to confess to an officer.

“Upon further review of the case, it was determined that no crime had been committed in Roxana or within the Roxana Police Department,” wrote Jensen.

Jensen included copies of sexually explicit Google messages between the 19-year-old man and a KTS representative who posed as a 13-year-old girl named “Kaylie” with a fake account in his report.

On the news, the man asked Kaylie’s bra size, whether she wore “thong” underwear, whether she was into “kinky sex” and whether they would be “(sex) friends”.

Weber’s ID card application claimed the 19-year-old man voluntarily got into Swanson’s car, believing it was being taken to Kaylie’s house, where her mother was supposed to be away.

The motion indicated that indecent solicitation of a child, solicitation to meet a child, and attempted serious criminal sexual abuse are crimes under Illinois law.

“There was also (a law) that allowed a private individual to arrest a person if they had reasonable grounds to believe that another person was committing a crime,” it says.

Weber argued Monday that Haines’s case against Swanson and the resulting ban on its predator hunting activities will make Madison County a safer place for pedophiles.

Haine declined to reply to Weber’s comment.

Haine said in a May press release that those who take justice into their own hands for “laudable” causes can endanger themselves and others and violate law enforcement.

“It is important to have a citizenry that is alert to suspicious behavior and criminal activity,” he said.

“But citizens must use existing law enforcement channels to ensure that true justice is pursued where criminals are caught and exposed, but with sufficient evidence that can stand in court and uphold a conviction while respecting the rights of every individual presumed innocence in our constitutional system. “

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