# How to expose a pedophile?



## AbbeyShane

I just found out that a friend of my in laws looks at child pornography. That's illegal isn't it? At any rate I knew the guy was bad news the first time I met him. My instinct screamed at me and it has never stopped when that guy is around. How do I know this now you ask? Someone I know illegally hacked his computer. Whoops! How do I legally expose this creep? Oh yeah, and he used to be good buddies with a guy who (just last summer) was convicted of five counts of incest, five counts of rape, and five counts of assaulting a minor. Yeah, quality people.


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## texaspeach

you can report it on the center for missing and exploited children page. there's more info on the fbi's crimes against children page


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## ErinYay

You can post a report here: Cyber Tipline.


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## SashaBreeze

Yes take action NOW! Don't let the guy have a clue what you are doing before hand though. One of my close friends ex-wife married a guy and she found stuff like that on his computer. Rather than immidiatly calling the cops she had a big blow out with him instead and the guy skipped out. Don't give this guy a chance to get away.


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## Mama Soltera

I would give an anonymous tip. Say that someone you know saw it while they were at his house and you feel it's your duty to (anonymously) report it. Good for you. And I agree with making sure he has no idea you're onto anything.

Just wanted to add, if you say you personally know something about it you will be called to testify, so I don't agree with the poster who suggested saying he told you this (or saying who you are because then they will need to know more specifically how you know and you don't want to get in trouble).


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## angelpie545

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mama Soltera* 
I would give an anonymous tip. Say that someone you know saw it while they were at his house and you feel it's your duty to (anonymously) report it. Good for you. And I agree with making sure he has no idea you're onto anything.

Just wanted to add, if you say you personally know something about it you will be called to testify, so I don't agree with the poster who suggested saying he told you this (or saying who you are because then they will need to know more specifically how you know and you don't want to get in trouble).


This is what I would do too. You don't have to say how you know he has it on his computer anyway. If you leave tip like that it will most likely be followed up on.


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## womenswisdom

I think I would tell the cops everything and ask them how to best go about this. I don't know if a judge will sign a search warrant based on just the fact that you say your friend saw the material. Seems like that wouldn't be enough probable cause, because anyone could say that for any reason (thinking custody dispute or something).


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## MeepyCat

Sorry, my first thought is to wonder about the motives of your information source. Hacking into someone's computer is illegal, so why was he doing it? And why hasn't the hacker reported what he found to law enforcement or CPS?

What you have is gossip from someone who may have ulterior motives. I would never suggest that you or your children hang around with anyone who makes you uncomfortable, but you haven't got anything to give the cops on this one.


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## Norasmomma

Well recently where I live a similar situation happened, a guy whom we've known casually did in fact get busted for child porn. His wife was the person who reported it, after seeing it for the second time. I guess she gave him a second chance. Anyway he was arrested for having THOUSANDS of images and put in jail for over 5 years, this was not a slap on the hand type thing, he was given a very large sentence. If your info is real you need to report it, this guy spent another year or so collecting more and more images. They were on his computer, cell phone, there was a lot.


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## treeoflife3

I'd probably just make an annonymous call to the authorities stating something is on his computer. hacking is illegal, perjory isn't a good idea... just keep it simple. it's there and you feel they need to know.


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## canadianhippie

call the police! Im not sure how serious the hacking would turn out to be when this man is exploiting children, its worth a petty charge to potentially save a child from abuse.


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## AbbeyShane

MeepyCat I do agree with you that the hacker should report this guy. I'm pretty sure that said hacker has already done time for hacking and spying on her ex-husband. I don't know what the motives were for sure but I'm pretty sure they were fueled by the alleged pedophile's close friendship with a guy who was recently convicted of raping 5 of his 7 children (boys and girls) in our town. PLUS the alleged pedophile is a serious, serious creep. I know the alleged pedophile. He is good friends with my my in-laws (mother, father, brother). He is at family gatherings. I have always felt this guy was a threat and now I feel I have some proof. I just hope the justice system in our (small, sometimes corrupt) town will nail this guy. I do feel like my children are in danger around this guy. So another sticky subject is brought up, in my mind. Do I let my in laws know?


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## dakotablue

have you or the hacker ever been in his home? would either of you be ok with the wording, "I have been in his home. I've noticed suspicious martial on his computer?" Both true sentences allowing the implication to be incorrect (that you saw them while there).

Either way call the police ASAP. Plus, your children aren't the only ones that need protecting, what about his neighbors.

I really really hate that this exists in our world....


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## Llyra

I may be the only one. So feel free to shout me down if you really think I'm crazy. But I would probably just mind my own business. I would not let my kids spend time with somebody who my instincts told me was creepy. I would tell the ILs firmly and clearly that my kids are to have no contact with this person. But I wouldn't go reporting it or anything.


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## nola79

I would just call the cops with an anonymous tip, and let them handle it from there.


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## SashaBreeze

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Llyra* 
I may be the only one. So feel free to shout me down if you really think I'm crazy. But I would probably just mind my own business. I would not let my kids spend time with somebody who my instincts told me was creepy. I would tell the ILs firmly and clearly that my kids are to have no contact with this person. But I wouldn't go reporting it or anything.

I am not shouting you down or anything, but I am SUPER curious as to why you feel this way.


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## choli

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SashaBreeze* 
I am not shouting you down or anything, but I am SUPER curious as to why you feel this way.

I can tell you why *I* feel this way - OP has no proof whatsoever that this story is true, she just has second hand gossip that may or may not be true.


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## SteelerMom

This one is easy:
*Call the local DA* and tell them everything you have posted. They will decide if there is enough evidence to do anything. The cops after all have to call them with advice when they aren't sure if they can arrest someone. I think you will find that most people are so disturbed by this type of behavior that they will be more than willing to do whatever they can legally to catch this guy.


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## Mama Soltera

I have to say, I thought about this thread a few hours after posting and it really does seem suspicious. Who is this hacker and why are they hacking into people's computers? Also, it raises the question of if the stuff was really there. The creepy vibe makes me believe this but I do think the "hacker's" activities are seriously questionable.


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## Llyra

Quote:


Originally Posted by *choli* 
I can tell you why *I* feel this way - OP has no proof whatsoever that this story is true, she just has second hand gossip that may or may not be true.

Yeah. That's pretty much my point of view. Now, if I had secondhand information that a person was actually PRODUCING child pornography, or actually guilty of abusing children, I'd take a harder line. I would report it, even if the information was only sketchy at best. But for having the pictures-- I'm not saying it's right, and I'm not saying it's good, but I don't think I'd look at it as being serious enough to report when my information isn't firsthand.


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## MeepyCat

Quote:


Originally Posted by *choli* 
I can tell you why *I* feel this way - OP has no proof whatsoever that this story is true, she just has second hand gossip that may or may not be true.

This.

I am quite certain that "Soandso's ex-wife told me that she hacked into his computer and found child porn there" does not meet the standard of evidence required for a search warrant.

By all means, keep your kids away from him, draw hard lines with your in laws, etcetera, but given the source, you don't know that he has child porn, you know that his ex-wife is angry at him and wants to hurt him.


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## MacKinnon

I have edited this thread to remove posts advocating and dicussing the merits of hacking. Please keep in mind that hacking is illegal and per the User Agreement MDC does not host threads/posts that advocate violating the law. Let's keep posts directed at how to legally expose this person and not further discuss hacking.

Thanks!


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## AbbeyShane

and some clarification. Turns out the hacker is a teenage girl. I don't know what her motives were. My guess would be that she was screwing around, spying on her neighbors and found some bad stuff. I have talked to a local policeman. He suggested that I and/or the hacker contact the sex crimes detective because that guy would be first in the chain to deal with it. He did stress that if it is true to pursue doing something about it. I do feel that I need to encourage the original crime-finder-outer to admit what she found. So that is what I'm going to do. That and keep my kids away from him. What is really scary to me is that my brother in law hangs out with this guy and talks potty-talk with him late into the night at the bar. My brother in law is pretty much a recluse and I don't like the idea of this guy having a lot of sway over him (of any kind, really). My oldest two kids often stay the night with my in laws and, yes, brother in law still lives with his parents. So......my most pressing dilemma is how do I let the grandparents see the grandkids without constantly being afraid that brother in law is violating them?


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## kcparker

How do your kids feel about your still-at-home bro.-in-law? Are they creeped out by him? Does he behave inappropriately with them? Kids have good radar about this stuff, and I assume you are teaching them good boundaries and a sense of ownership over their own bodies. You might remind them, in a very general way, that if they EVER have somebody touch them or talk to them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable, they have your encouragement to raise holy h*** when it happens and that you will absolutely and immediately defend and protect them and not ever allow that person to come near them again. They need to know that they will be a) believed, and b) safe if anybody threatens them. BIL isn't necessarily guilty by association, but I understand your concern.

And I agree with other posters that all YOU have right now is hearsay. The original discoverer would have to be the one to go to the cops, but I don't know if her snooping would be admissible evidence for them to get a warrant to go investigate further.

Keep an eagle-eye on this guy, but also consider the consequences if the teen saw over-age, legal porn that was styled to look like children (or, there's no chance she is so crazy she'd plant it, right?), and you tell the cops and they go into his house but don't find anything. You live in a small town where gossip spreads. You would not want to falsely accuse a guy who is merely creepy but not doing anything that's actually illegal. Real sex offenders are the most scummy tier of our society, so having such an accusation publicly leveled against a person will blight him forever. I'm not saying do nothing, but I am saying, be very, very sure that you are turning the cops loose on somebody who you are 100% sure is guilty because if he isn't, the accusation alone will wreak havoc on his life, even if he's cleared of any suspicion later.


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## AbbeyShane

You advice is rock solid! Thank you for it!


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