The Riverside County Sheriff Department were called on Friday to a park in Temecula, California. Once on the scene, they made contact with approximately 20 teens who were using their phones to record an incident that was unfolding.
Once authorities were able to get to the bottom of what was happening, they learned 46-year-old William Vanderbush (pictured below) had sent nude photos to one of the teens in the group. He had also made plans to meet up at the park with the minor to engage in "very intimate acts".
It appears the group of teens had manufactured the online encounter in order to lure Mr. Vanderbush out and expose him as a child predator.
William Vanderbush was taken into custody and charged with sending harmful material to a minor, contacting a minor for sexual purposes and arranging to meet a minor for sexual purposes.
Authorities were happy to get an offender off of the street but they are urging the public to not conduct vigilante sting operations. It worked this time, however things could have easily went sideways and ended tragically. They say that instead you should contact police immediately if you or a loved one is involved in a predatory online interaction and they will handle it.
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