A 46-year-old Riverside County man was taken into custody after a group of vigilante teenagers, one of whom the man had sent nude photographs of himself, set up a sting to have him arrested late last week.
The Nov. 15 incident, according to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, unfolded around 4:30 p.m. at Nicolas Road Park in Temecula.
Authorities told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson that deputies were tipped off that the suspect, now identified as Homeland resident William Vandenbush, was allegedly meeting a minor at the park for “sexual purposes.”
“When deputies arrived at to that scene, there were probably 20 other juveniles there,” RCSD Sgt. Diedre Vickers told KTLA.
While many of the teens had their cellphones out and recorded the encounter, deputies detained the 46-year-old and waited for detectives to respond to the scene.
“The investigation revealed that Vandenbush sent nude photographs and agreed to meet a minor for sexual purposes,” the release detailed.
The Homeland resident was arrested and booked at the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta to await charges for sending harmful matter to a minor, contacting a minor for sexual purposes and arranging to meet with a minor for sexual purposes.
“Good for the teens but scary at the same time,” Faye Houck, a Murrieta resident who often brings her children to the park.
She and Tamryn Jung, also a mother from Murrieta, said that they find the situation alarming because of the risks of confronting an alleged sexual predator.
“I’m a former teacher and I would say that although they think it’s admirable, that they wanted to do this, I think the risk would outweigh the benefits,” Jung said.
Sgt. Vickers agreed, saying these situations are even dangerous for law enforcement who have the proper training in these situations.
“Not just kids, it’s risky for anyone that decides to do this type of vigilante investigation,” she explained. “You’re catching someone at their most vulnerable time. There’s no way to predict what they’re going to do, how they’re going to react.”
The Sheriff’s Department’s news release echoed Vickers comments, saying, “This action unnecessarily jeopardized the safety of everyone in the vicinity of the park.”
The investigation into the incident remains open and anyone with information is urged to contact Investigator Alissa Morris or Deputy Kevin Au at 951-696-3000.
