Potential predators go south in Kentucky

At 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night, a Perverted Justice decoy starts chatting online with a man from Indiana, which is five-and-a-half hours away from our undercover house in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Decoy: I figured, "Oh, there's no way this guy's going to come."

Calling himself jonraven2000, he tells the decoy who is posing as a 13-year-old that he's 24 and says [I’m] "too old to do anything with u." But that doesn't last long. Soon afterwards, the sex talk begins. He asks the decoy about her last boyfriend.

Jon_raven2000 (10/20/07 9:00:19 pm): did u suck him
Decoy (10/20/07 9:00:33 pm): yah
Decoy (10/20/07 9:00:39 pm): y u want to know that
Jon_raven2000 (10/20/07 9:00:43 pm): I just do
Decoy (10/20/07 9:00:52 pm): kk
Decoy (10/20/07 9:00:57 pm): see I aint no baby
Jon_raven2000 (10/20/07 9:01:06 pm): would u do it to me
Decoy (10/20/07 9:01:19 pm): wuld u want me 2
Jon_raven2000 (10/20/07 9:01:23 pm): yes
Decoy (10/20/07 9:01:40 pm): yah it wuld b cool to try stuff out ur cute

The chat continues for another 20 minutes. Then he gets in his car and starts driving. He's known the decoy for less than two hours. During the long drive, he talks to the decoy on the phone and reveals more about himself.

Frag: We just got off the phone with the guy who's claiming to be a cop, we don't know that he is, but he says he carries his gun everywhere with him.

So now we have to assume that jon_raven2000 is a police officer and he's armed.

Decoy: The security people were really great in instructing me as to what to do. And the first and foremost important thing was the safety.

Here comes 24-year-old Michael Patterson. He actually made the five and half hour drive to meet a 13-year-old for sex. Casey has been instructed to make certain the man is unarmed.

Decoy: Hey.
Patterson: Oh my God.
Decoy: You didn't really bring your gun with you, did you? Because that kind of freaks me out.
Patterson: No.
Decoy: Well, you said you always carry it with you.
Patterson: It's in my car.
Decoy: I don't believe you … lift up your shirt. Turn around … lift up your pants. (laughter)
Patterson: You, you're killing me.
Decoy: Pull your pockets inside out.
Decoy: Your other pocket.
Patterson: My wallet. See? Change. … Come on, you got to trust me, I don't have it on me here.

Decoy: I got the OK to let him in the house.

Decoy: All right. I guess I believe you. Okay. Close your door. Come on in.
Patterson: Can't believe you don't believe me.
Decoy: Well, I wasn't sure. You said you always carry it with you.
Patterson: Huh?
Decoy: I wasn't sure because you said you always carried it.
Patterson: I don't have it on me though.

Decoy: And he just continued to joke about it, and the cops and the security were, you know, still keeping a really strong eye on him because you never know.

Decoy: So you're a cop, not a detective?
Patterson: Detective, yeah. I'm a lieutenant.
Decoy: OK. Gotcha.
Patterson: But you're excited.
Decoy: Yeah, I’m pretty excited. Are you excited?
Patterson: Yeah.
Decoy: So what do you want to do?
Patterson: Where's your room at? Let's go through the house. OK. This is a huge house.
Decoy: Yeah, it is pretty big. It's nice though.
Patterson: Oh my god. My hair's a mess.
Chris Hansen: So, lieutenant.
Patterson: What's up?
Chris Hansen: What are we investigating tonight?
Patterson: Nothing much.
Hansen: What's your plan here?
Patterson: Just drove down here.
Chris Hansen: How long was the drive?
Patterson: Five-and-a-half hours.
Chris Hansen: Now what would motivate somebody to drive five-and-a-half hours to come here to this house?
Patterson: I don't know, sir.
Chris Hansen: Well, you've got to know … you're the one who did the driving.
Patterson: I know.
Chris Hansen: Now, you're a lawman? So if you're doing the interview, what would you want to know most?
Patterson: Basically, well, how was I here.
Chris Hansen: Yeah, why were you here?
Patterson: I’m just lonely. I don't have anybody. And need somebody to talk to.
Chris Hansen: You knew she was 13. She told you.
Patterson: I was kind of weird about it. I told her I-- she was five years older I-- wouldn't mind talking to her. But--
Chris Hansen: But you kept talking anyway.
Patterson: Yeah.
Chris Hansen: "you wouldn't know what to do with me." "am I supposed to know what to do with old men?" "only with me."
Patterson: (laughter)
Chris Hansen: So this is funny?
Patterson: I know. I'm sorry, sir.
Chris Hansen: It's funny? What do you think should happen to a police officer who gets caught doing something like this?
Patterson: Well, really bad could happen.
Chris Hansen: How long have you been in law enforcement?
Patterson: Just a year now.
Chris Hansen: Explain to me why somebody with apparently so much going on would take that risk. I mean, it doesn't make sense to me.
Patterson: I'm going through a divorce personally.
Chris Hansen: So that makes it OK?
Patterson: No, it's not OK. Not-- it's -- never be OK. Not for anybody.
Chris Hansen: What do you suppose your chief's going to say about this?
Patterson: He's not going to be too happy.
Chris Hansen: Well-- there's something you got to know. And it's-- I’m Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC. And we're doing a story on adults who try to meet young teens online for sex.
Patterson: I apologize man to man.
Chris Hansen: OK.

He gathers up all his belongings and heads to the door, apparently thinking the worst is over. Because of the possibility that Patterson is armed, an officer acts more quickly than usual calling out to him as soon as he opens the door.

Police: Sheriff's office!
Police: Come on out.
Police: Come on out.
Police: Come out. Come out.

Patterson steps back into the house and an officer shoots him with a Taser gun.

Patterson: Oh, please. Please. Please. Oh. Oh. Please. Oh.

Only one probe stays attached, so the Taser is unable to shock him and drop him to the ground.

(Patterson screams)
Police: Don't move.
Patterson: Please! Please help me! Dear God. Dear God.

Once Patterson is cuffed, he's brought outside and taken away to the local police station. When officers search his car they find a loaded gun, a spare round of ammunition and handcuffs.

Later he agrees to waive his rights and answer questions.

Ken Gillingham: I’d like to discuss with you why you're here.

Now we hear the truth about the man claiming to be a detective. He tells the agent that he was only on the police force for a few months -- as a trainee -- before he was thrown off.

Michael Patterson: It was a traffic violation. I violated their SOP, their standard operating procedures.

He was out of his jurisdiction in his personal car using police lights.

Michael Patterson: I got some blue and red lights and I put them in my car. It was thrown out of court. So, they dismissed me for that. But, it was thrown out.
Ken Gillingham: How long ago was that?
Michael Patterson: Just like a month ago.

But according to the local prosecutor, the case wasn't dismissed. He still faces the charge of impersonating a police officer.

That wasn't his only run-in with the law- Patterson charged more than $1,400 on a credit card that had been mistakenly sent to him. He pleaded guilty to one count of theft -- a misdemeanor, served 3 days in jail and received one year probation.

Ken Gillingham: So, you had intentions to at least have oral sex with her?
Michael Patterson: Yeah.
Ken Gillingham: And how old did she tell you that she was?
Michael Patterson: She said going on 14.
Michael Patterson: I knew I screwed up talking to a girl underage. I knew-- I’m not stupid.

A total of seven men were arrested here in Bowling Green Kentucky and charged with unlawful transaction with a minor less than 16 years of age, a felony.

Judge: Since this is a felony you are entitled to a preliminary hearing.

Video   'Stay away' What is Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo's message is to potential predators? Dateline NBC

They've all pleaded not guilty. That brings the total number of potential predators arrested in a year by the Kentucky attorney general's office to 27.

Greg Stumbo: We know that-- that predators are now saying, "We're not coming to Kentucky. They're watching for us. So Kentucky’s kids are safer.”

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