ALBANY, OR - Authorities said that 34-year-old Charles Mellick was taken into custody on Friday, March 21st, at a Walmart in Albany after YouTube personality JiDion and his team orchestrated a fake meeting with a registered sex offender.
According to KGW, JiDion and his team posed as a minor online and lured Mellick to the location. Police were not informed of the operation in advance and only learned about it after receiving a 911 call from the group. Now, authorities are warning others against unauthorized sting operations, as they could dangerous.
Albany Police Captain Buck Pearce said in a statement, "We advised them not to make contact with the person they were trying to arrest in this sting. They showed up unannounced and sprung this on us, and that's one of the concerns we've had in the past when we've assisted with other groups."
Pearce confirmed that Mellick was arrested on an unrelated warrant and that the sex crime charges remain under investigation. He also cited serious public safety concerns about unauthorized stings. Pearce said, "The first thing is public safety, and in this situation, we don't know who we're interacting with, and we don't know what the confrontation is going to look like. This occurred inside a Walmart store that was heavily populated at about 11:00 on a Friday."
Authorities reiterated that law enforcement agencies in the area conduct their own stings, but they do so in a controlled manner to minimize risks. Pearce added, "The Albany Police Department and area agencies do our own stings, and those stings are also very productive. But they're controlled to minimize risk to the public."
JiDion has built a following online for his vigilante-style efforts to expose alleged child predators. He defended his tactics, saying his team uses decoys to interact with suspects online before arranging meetings. He said, "Our kids are the most vulnerable people on the planet. There's way more predators than there are police officers out there."
He argued that his actions serve the greater good, adding, "If we can get these guys locked up and get the information to the police, then we should definitely do that. I'm not the judge, jury and executions, but I am the snitch. I will tell the police what these guys are doing and give them every single piece of evidence."
He said his team had three suspects under investigation in Oregon, including two men arrested on Thursday, March 20th, in Keizer. Keizer police, acting on tips from JiDion, arrested 29-year-old Kyle Andrew Monroy and 41-year-old Christopher James Loyd. Despite the arrests, police remain adamant that these types of independent operations can be dangerous and should be left to law enforcement.
KPTV reported that Keizer police said in a statement, "These heinous crimes are the most serious we see in society, and we want to make sure our cases are high quality and result in successful prosecution. Deviance from accepted lawful procedures and practices could put these cases in jeopardy."
Pearce said, "We take these crimes against children very seriously, whether it's a fake child or a real child. We want to investigate and hold those perpetrators accountable, but we need to do it in a way that ensures public safety."
According to KGW, JiDion and his team posed as a minor online and lured Mellick to the location. Police were not informed of the operation in advance and only learned about it after receiving a 911 call from the group. Now, authorities are warning others against unauthorized sting operations, as they could dangerous.
Albany Police Captain Buck Pearce said in a statement, "We advised them not to make contact with the person they were trying to arrest in this sting. They showed up unannounced and sprung this on us, and that's one of the concerns we've had in the past when we've assisted with other groups."
Pearce confirmed that Mellick was arrested on an unrelated warrant and that the sex crime charges remain under investigation. He also cited serious public safety concerns about unauthorized stings. Pearce said, "The first thing is public safety, and in this situation, we don't know who we're interacting with, and we don't know what the confrontation is going to look like. This occurred inside a Walmart store that was heavily populated at about 11:00 on a Friday."
Authorities reiterated that law enforcement agencies in the area conduct their own stings, but they do so in a controlled manner to minimize risks. Pearce added, "The Albany Police Department and area agencies do our own stings, and those stings are also very productive. But they're controlled to minimize risk to the public."
JiDion has built a following online for his vigilante-style efforts to expose alleged child predators. He defended his tactics, saying his team uses decoys to interact with suspects online before arranging meetings. He said, "Our kids are the most vulnerable people on the planet. There's way more predators than there are police officers out there."
He argued that his actions serve the greater good, adding, "If we can get these guys locked up and get the information to the police, then we should definitely do that. I'm not the judge, jury and executions, but I am the snitch. I will tell the police what these guys are doing and give them every single piece of evidence."
He said his team had three suspects under investigation in Oregon, including two men arrested on Thursday, March 20th, in Keizer. Keizer police, acting on tips from JiDion, arrested 29-year-old Kyle Andrew Monroy and 41-year-old Christopher James Loyd. Despite the arrests, police remain adamant that these types of independent operations can be dangerous and should be left to law enforcement.
KPTV reported that Keizer police said in a statement, "These heinous crimes are the most serious we see in society, and we want to make sure our cases are high quality and result in successful prosecution. Deviance from accepted lawful procedures and practices could put these cases in jeopardy."
Pearce said, "We take these crimes against children very seriously, whether it's a fake child or a real child. We want to investigate and hold those perpetrators accountable, but we need to do it in a way that ensures public safety."
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