Potential predators go south in Kentucky

It's day three of our undercover investigation here in Bowling Green, Kentucky -- population 50,000. Our first guest arrives at noon, right on time. Jeremy Todd West, 27, pulls in the driveway and our decoy invites him in.

Decoy: Hey.
West: How's it going'?
Decoy: Good. How are you?
West: Tired.

Calling himself bandit8077, he starts chatting online with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl. After only about 20 minutes he says he'd like to meet. Two days later he asks her this...

Bandit8077 (09/25/07 9:58:27 pm): are u wantin sex when we meet?
Decoy (09/25/07 9:58:51 pm): um idk
Decoy (09/25/07 9:58:54 pm): I dont even no u
Bandit8077 (09/25/07 9:59:49 pm): if we do would u want to do it there or go somewhere and do it?

The chat goes on for almost a month. It looks like a blossoming romance. Two weeks into their chat he tells her "I would most likely want u to be my future wife." She tells him she wants to finish high school first -- a jarring reminder that this is a chat between a 27-year-old man and a girl who says she's in eighth grade. Two days before he's supposed to meet the girl he starts to get worried.

Bandit8077 (10/18/07 5:27:23 pm): but one thing that keeps runnin thru my mind is if I get caught I seen this Dateline thing where they are bustin guys with cops tryin to have sex with young kids
Decoy (10/18/07 5:27:30 pm): oh
Decoy (10/18/07 5:27:36 pm): u think thats me?
Bandit8077 (10/18/07 5:28:11 pm): no. But it just scares me though

Apparently it doesn't scare him enough. A public works employee from Tennessee, bandit8077 makes himself at home.

West: Yeah, these chairs are nice.
Decoy: So, how's it going'?
West: So far, so good.
Decoy: That's good. Stay seated.
West: Well, I’m going to give you a hug.
Decoy: Well, let's (unintel) sit down.
Chris Hansen: Before you give a hug here, we're going to have a little chat. What's going' on?
West: Not much, just thought I’d come hang out, be friends.
Hansen: So there are no friends who are your age you can hang out with on the internet
West: Yeah.
Hansen: So why don't you talk to them?
West: No. I know what you're doing'. Don't go there, please. I know what you're doing.
Chris Hansen: You talk about taking her out to buy sexy bras and panties and thongs.
West: I had a feeling this was it.
Chris Hansen: You had a feeling what was it?
West: This was a setup.
Chris Hansen: "We would be kissing. And my hands would caress your sexy body."
West: I made a mistake. I made a royal mistake … I wasn't going to sleep with her. I promised I wouldn't. I talked about it but I wasn't going to do it.

Remember he's been talking online about having sex with a 13-year-old for almost a month.

West: I was wrong.
Chris Hansen: Then why did you do it, Todd? Explain that.
West: Weak-- I mean, just weak moment. I had a feeling something was wrong.
Chris Hansen: Do you ever watch Dateline?
West: I've watched it once.
Chris Hansen: Did you ever think you'd actually be on ‘To Catch a Predator’? Well Todd, there's something' I've got to tell you.
West: I'm on it.
Chris Hansen: I'm Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC.
West: Don't.
Chris Hansen: You can walk right out the door--
West: Leave me. Leave him. Please.

And just like he's seen on TV, law enforcement is outside waiting to arrest him.

Cops: Sheriff's office. Come on now, come on down. Straighten out hands up. Get down on your face right now. Right now. Hands out, put them behind your back. Do not move.
West: Help, please.

He's taken to the local police station, and when questioned by an agent from the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation he sticks to his story.

Jeremy West: I wasn't going to do anything more than just be friends, that was it.

He tells the officer he's worried about being on Dateline.

Ken Gillingham: You're probably going to appear on their show at some time. And part of the reason is they use that as a deterrent for other people to not get their self in this situation.
Jeremy West: I should have just stayed away.

In a few minutes, our next potential predator will probably be thinking he too should have stayed away.

Frag (Perverted Justice): OK, his name is Lorne, you're Kayla. He should have condoms, pizza, bracelet and a cam.

Decoy: Hey, I’m glad you could come.
Armstrong: Hey girl.
Decoy: (laughter) How are you?
Armstrong: I'm good. How are you?
Decoy: Good.

Turns out that today's his birthday. He's 37-year-old Lorne Armstrong, a construction worker. He's been chatting with a girl posing as a 13-year-old for more than a month. It's one of the longest chat logs we've ever seen -— 407 pages. Using the screen name lorne_a_20014, he tells her how to masturbate. And then asks her if she wants to see him naked. She agrees and he turns on his webcam. He wants her to look at his penis.

Lorne_a_20014 (09/17/07 11:48:40 pm): would you like to see it up close so you can get a better look at it?lol
Decoy (09/17/07 11:48:58 pm): omg I guess if u wanna show me

After chatting with the decoy posing as a 13-year-old for just six days, he expresses his deep love for her.

Lorne_a_20014 (09/23/07 11:55:25 am): I wish I could marry you right now because I would do it
Lorne_a_20014 (09/23/07 11:55:41 am): that's how special you are to me and that's how much I love you

But he clearly knows what he is doing is wrong, telling her to delete all evidence of their chat log.

Lorne_a_20014 (10/15/07 11:23:46 pm): ok, delete your archives and remember mrs. Kayla marie Armstrong.............I love you more than anything

Decoy: He was so excited to be here, and he came walking in very proud, very excited.

Decoy: It's a massager--
Lorne Armstrong: Oh, my God--
Decoy: --chair.
Lorne Armstrong: Look at that.
Decoy: It vibrates when you press the buttons.
Lorne Armstrong: Look. Oh my God.
Lorne Armstrong: I thought you had blonde hair?
Decoy: Do you like it? I dyed it--
Lorne Armstrong: I think--
Decoy: --myself.
Lorne Armstrong: I think it's pretty.
Decoy: Thank you.
Lorne Armstrong: It's very pretty.
Decoy: Well, weren't you going to bring me something?
Lorne Armstrong: Well, yes, I was. And I did.
Decoy: Did you bring condoms?
Lorne Armstrong: Yes, I did.
Decoy: Where are they?
Lorne Armstrong: Out in the truck.
Decoy: Well, what good are they going to do in the truck, if we're in here?
Lorne Armstrong: (laughter) well, yell at me, why don't you. I haven't had a kiss, yet.
Decoy: Oh, OK. Well, then, what did you want to do.
Lorne Armstrong: I want to kiss, first.
Decoy: And then what--
Lorne Armstrong: Can I have a kiss first?
Decoy: Well, let's talk first.
Lorne Armstrong: (laughter) No kidding.
Decoy: You just got here. (laughter)
Lorne Armstrong: Are you nervous?
Decoy: A little bit.
Lorne Armstrong: A little bit? Not as bad what you thought it would be? … (laughter) I like seeing you in person.
Decoy: yeah, I like seeing you, too.
Lorne Armstrong: Good.

Chris Hansen: You seem pretty comfortable there.
Lorne Armstrong: How are you, sir.
Chris Hansen: How are you?
Lorne Armstrong: All right. How are you doing?
Chris Hansen: What's happening?
Lorne Armstrong: Not too much.
Chris Hansen: Yeah. So what are you up to tonight?
Lorne Armstrong: Not a whole lot.
Chris Hansen: Well, I’ll tell you, for the last several days, you've been up to a lot. You're a pretty prolific chatter there. You want to explain yourself?
Lorne Armstrong: Not really, I’d never, really, was going to do anything.
Chris Hansen: You weren't really going to do anything?
Lorne Armstrong: No.
Chris Hansen: So you brought condoms? What else did you bring?
Lorne Armstrong: I brought her a bracelet.
Chris Hansen: And she is how old?
Lorne Armstrong: Supposed to be 13.
Chris Hansen: And how old are you?
Lorne Armstrong: Thirty-seven.
Chris Hansen: Now, besides all this chat here, and we'll go through that in a minute, you also sent a whole bunch of pictures. Now why would you think--
Lorne Armstrong: Ugh.
Chris Hansen: --that's appropriate?
Lorne Armstrong: It's not.
Chris Hansen: You tell her to delete her archives.
Lorne Armstrong: I didn't want her to get in trouble by her parents.
Chris Hansen: You talk about getting married to her. Getting married? She's 13.
Lorne Armstrong: I meant when she was 18.
Hansen: You were going to marry her when she turned 18. What do you think ought to happen to you?
Lorne Armstrong: I think I should go to counseling to get off the internet. I've got to do something, because I can't do thi-- oh my God. (crying)
Hansen: Well, there something I've got to tell you. I'm Chris Hansen, of Dateline NBC, and we're doing a story on--
Lorne Armstrong: Oh, God. (crying)
Chris Hansen: Now, you're free to walk out of this house right now. But if there's anything else you want to say, now would be the time to say it.

He has nothing further to say and tries to make a quick exit, apparently not knowing what's in store for him outside.

Cops: Sheriff's office! Down! Get down! On the ground, on the ground. Hands behind your back, put your hands behind your back.

He's taken to the local police station where his car is searched.

Cop: In Mr. Armstrong's truck we found some condoms, a variety pack, plus some jewelry.

And later he's interviewed by law enforcement.

Ken Gillingham: I believe you transmitted quite a few photographs.
Lorne Armstrong: I'd like an attorney.
Ken Gillingham: All right, sir.

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