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Potential predators go south in Kentucky


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INTERACTIVE
Men from 'Predator' Kentucky
A photo gallery with information on the men who showed up at the 'To Catch a Predator' house in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

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'To Catch a Predator' Kentucky
Dateline NBC

Frag: That's him coming at you.
Decoy: Yep, I see him.
Frag: He would have a cane, he has cerebral palsy.

McPhetridge: You come here?
Decoy: No, come on in.

Decoy: He drove up as close as he could to the door so he didn't have to walk as far because he has the cane. I told him to come on inside, and he finally agreed.

Meet Dustin McPhetridge-- he's 26 years old, divorced, suffers from cerebral palsy and collects social security benefits. He says it's SSI.

He's driven five hours to have sex with a girl posing as a 13-year old. As you'll find out, this isn't his first time chatting inappropriately with a minor.

Story continues below ↓
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Our decoy Casey starts to feel sorry for him as she watches him struggle to get out of the car, but then remembers what he'd been saying online.

Decoy: When you listen to him talking, he really is no different, he's still wanting to have sex with a little girl.

Using the screen name wrestlingdudeeasttn he asks the girl if he could be her "first at sex."

Wrestlingdudeeasttn (10/06/07 8:12:48 pm): what have u done with a guy
Decoy (10/06/07 8:13:01 pm): nothin
Wrestlingdudeeasttn (10/06/07 8:13:35 pm): wow so id be ur 1st at everything
Decoy (10/06/07 8:14:02 pm): you

After he tells the decoy about his disability -- he moves on to talking about anal and oral sex. He asks if he can shave her private parts and later makes a rather bizarre request.

wrestlingdudeeasttn (10/13/07 7:11:01 pm): send me a pair of ur panties
Wrestlingdudeeasttn (10/13/07 7:16:58 pm): pick a pair u want me 2 have and wear them for 2 or 3 days staight
Decoy (10/13/07 7:17:21 pm): 4 relz?
Wrestlingdudeeasttn (10/13/07 7:17:56 pm): yea

He also asks her if he can have a three way with the decoy and her sister, and he repeatedly asks the girl to marry him. When they make a plan to meet, he tells her he'll bring an electric razor.

KBI commissioner David James watches on a monitor as McPhetridge comes into the house.

James: When you first look at him and you see him, and you could say that I felt a little bit sorry for him. A little bit. And then you remember why we're here, you know. Whether he has cerebral palsy or not, he still is there to molest a child. And there's no excuse for molesting a child. I don't care what it is.

Decoy: So, what's up?
McPhetridge: Nothing.
Decoy: Nothing?
McPhetridge: No. (laughter)
Decoy: Did you bring the razors?
McPhetridge: Yeah.
Decoy: So what did you want to do with them? I was kind of confused.
McPhetridge: Well, I’ll show you later.
Decoy: Can you just tell me, please? I won't come here if you don't tell me.
McPhetridge: I thought you was wanting to be shaved down there.
Decoy: Is that what you wanted to do?
McPhetridge: Yeah. That's what you wanted to.
Decoy: Oh, okay.
Decoy: I’m kind of nervous. I'd rather like talk about it first so I kind of know, you know what I mean?
McPhetridge: Well, what you wantin' to talk about, sweetie?
Decoy: Well, like, tell me what you're going to do, so I’m like kind of prepared.
McPhetridge: It's just easier to explain it as we go along, before I do it.
Decoy: Well, like, what would you do first?
McPhetridge: I don't know. I'd like to hold you.
Decoy: And then what?
McPhetridge: And kiss you. That's why I’m, that's why I was asking you to come over here.
Decoy: Well, yeah, I understand that.
McPhetridge: I wouldn't expect you to do nothing you didn't want to.
Decoy: I guess. But--
McPhetridge: Yeah, I wouldn't force you to do anything, sweetheart.

Chris Hansen: Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news--
McPhetridge: Well, I wasn't going to do nothing, but--
Chris Hansen: You weren't going to do anything?
McPhetridge: No. I--
Chris Hansen: Why don't you tell me what your plan was tonight, hmm?
McPhetridge: I didn't bring nothing with me. I didn't do nothing bad. And I would never force nobody to do anything against their will. So.
Chris Hansen: But you did bring some things with you tonight?
McPhetridge: I brought a razor--
Chris Hansen: And what were you going to do with the razor?
McPhetridge: I thought she wanted to be shaved down there … and I thought she said she was 17 or something.
Chris Hansen: I’ve got the transcript right here.
McPhetridge: I believe that, sir.
Chris Hansen: Right.

He was told online she was 13. And he even referred to her young age several times, wishing she was five years older. And as for all the explicit sex talk...

McPhetridge: I was trying to see if I could find out if that was a cop, or so I didn't waste though--
Chris Hansen: Well, it sounds--
McPhetridge: There are times--
Chris Hansen: --like, it-- it sounds like what you're tryin' to see is if you could score with a 13-year-old girl.
McPhetridge: No, sir.
Chris Hansen: I mean have you chatted online with underage girls before?
McPhetridge: Quite honestly, I had one time before.
Chris Hansen: A young girl?
McPhetridge: Yes.

He says he was chatting with a 14-year-old girl and the girl's mother's boyfriend was a cop who found out about it and wanted to press charges.

McPhetridge: It never went to trial. I apologized, and everybody--
Chris Hansen: Did you plead guilty, or no-contest?
McPhetridge: We didn't go to court. It was just over the phone, and like, "Hey, I’m sorry. This is why I said that. I--"
Chris Hansen: Was it a scary situation to you?
McPhetridge: Yeah.
Chris Hansen: Did you learn your lesson?
McPhetridge: Yeah.
Chris Hansen: But it doesn't seem so tonight?
McPhetridge: And I didn't, like I said, I wouldn't do nothing bad.
Chris Hansen: Did you say, "I want to make love to you?" "Have you ever seen people have sex?"
McPhetridge: It was just--
Chris Hansen: Then you--
McPhetridge: --curiosity.
Chris Hansen: --send her, you send her a picture of people having sex.
McPhetridge: I thought, she asked for it.
Chris Hansen: She asked for it. She didn't ask for it. You sent it to her. And even if she did, I mean, that's-- you're not supposed to be sending stuff like that to somebody who says they're 13.

But instead of taking responsibility, he tries to blame it all on the decoy.

McPhetridge: She was wanting me to come up here and see her so bad, and I didn't want to disappoint her.
Chris Hansen: You're a grown man.
McPhetridge: I know--
Chris Hansen: What do you think should happen to you?
McPhetridge: I don't know. I don't know.
Chris Hansen: Well, there's something I've got to tell you. Now, I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC. And we're doing a story on adults who try to meet young teens online for sex.
McPhetridge: It's all wrong in my part. But she led me on a little, too. And I understand both ways.
Chris Hansen: I mean, she's not driving the train here. You're the grown-up.
McPhetridge: I know. And--
Chris Hansen: I mean, you get that, right?
McPhetridge: Yeah. And it's stupid on my part.

As he heads for the door, Dustin doesn't seem to know that officers from the Warren County sheriff's office are waiting to arrest him.

Cops: Dustin. Take a step out okay? Take a step out.
Dustin: OK. OK. OK.

Because of his disability, officers are careful taking him into custody.

While he's being booked, his car is searched.

Cop: Braun electric razor, some KY lubricant, and ah, he had a digital camera as well.

Then he's brought in for questioning where he admits to bringing a razor and lubricant.

John Dudanski: What were you going to use it for?
Dustin McPhetridge: I guess--
John Dudanski: Was it in case you had sex with her?
Dustin McPhetridge: Yeah, but I was going to try-- not to.
John Dudanski: But you would have had sex if you hit it off with her.
Dustin McPhetridge: If we got along and I thought it was a meaningful relationship, honestly then, yeah.

Again he says he's not the only one to blame since the girl teased him into coming.

Dustin McPhetridge: She called me today wanting me to come up here.
John Dudanski: Uh-huh (affirm). Well you were telling her you were her boyfriend, right? You wanted to marry her.
Dustin McPhetridge: After she's 18.
John Dudanski: OK.
Dustin McPhetridge: If we got along.

And how does he explain the picture he sent?

Dustin McPhetridge: She said she'd never seen a penis before.
John Dudanski:
Why does a girl that age have to see one?
Dustin McPhetridge: I don't have no answer for that one.

He admits that he probably possesses child pornography.

Dustin McPhetridge: There's probably a few photos and few videos that I had downloaded.
John McPhetridge: Have you ever met anybody in any other chat rooms that you've had sex with?
Dustin McPhetridge: Yes.
John Dudanski: Any of them underage?
Dustin McPhetridge: No, sir.

Later he goes before a judge, where he enters a not guilty plea.

Judge: Your bond will also be $50,000 cash.
Dustin McPhetridge: Should I be signed over to the custody of my mother?
Judge: No, sir. I'll see you Friday--
Dustin McPhetridge: Can she have her vehicle back?
Judge: I'll see you Friday at 9 a.m.