Two men were arrested last week on Tuesday afternoon on charges related to indecent proposals to a child, while both incidents were live-streamed by an independent group that says they’re dedicated to catching predators.
Oklahoma Predator Prevention is a civilian group that conducts online stings targeting adults they suspect are attempting to meet minors for sex, often livestreaming the confrontations online before police arrive.
John Eugene Kelley, who is 56 and from Sapulpa, was arrested at a convenience store on Highway 97 after he agreed to meet up with what turned out to be a person connected with the group Oklahoma Predator Prevention, or OPP.
During the conversation, which was livestreamed on Kick, Kelley repeatedly told the group that he believed he was chatting with a man who was “trying to mess with me,” and that the parts of the messages that were sexual in nature were just him “being a smart-a**.”
About two hours into the video, police arrived after being called by a member of the OPP. As an officer steps into view, Kelley says, “We’re not waiting on him, are we?”
“No. Just act normal.”
Officer Lovelace with the Sapulpa Police Department approached the table, and began the conversation by asking, “Why are we here today, John?”
“Apparently, I made bad choices on the internet,” he said. “I guess I got into stuff I should have never got into.”
Lovelace asks, “Child pornography? Is that part of it?”
“Yes, sir.”
During Lovelace’s conversation with Kelley, one of the OPP members called Haley Parsley, a writer at Oklahoma Watch who published a story on the motives and controversy of the group. The OPP member asked if she would like to interview Kelley, since he’s a “vulnerable victim,” citing language from her story noting that “some of the people targeted by Oklahoma Predator Prevention have intellectual disabilities.”
Officer Arnold asked Kelley whether he continued the conversation after the person identified themselves as a 13-year-old girl.
“I did,” Kelley responded.
Shortly after, Kelley was placed under arrest. He has since been charged with lewd or indecent proposals or acts to a child, soliciting a minor for indecent exposure, destroying evidence, and possession of child pornography.
“You remind me of my daughter.”
Also on Tuesday afternoon, a Tulsa man named Chad Everett Jones, 51, was confronted in a business parking lot by members of OPP.
The interaction was also livestreamed on Kick, but the audio was poor, and much of the conversation was difficult to make out. Sapulpa Times has since obtained the arrest affidavit, which provides more detail on the situation that led to Jones’ arrest.
According to the arrest affidavit, Jones allegedly engaged in explicit conversations with a member of OPP posing as a 14-year-old girl named “Ruby.”
Most of the exchange is too graphic to publish here, but at one point in the conversations that spanned several days, Jones allegedly asked Ruby to be his girlfriend, telling her she “reminds him of his daughter,” according to the affidavit. He then tells Ruby to “get in bed with [him]” and “[his] daughter could join them.” He then allegedly explained, in graphic detail, a sexual fantasy involving him, his daughter, and Ruby.
Jones was arrested on charges of lewd or indecent proposals to a child under 16, and soliciting sex acts with a minor by telephone.
