That sting was run back in May by Millersville Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor and a colorful cast of characters he assembled for the operation.

Among the revelations, the recordings show:

  • Taylor did not involve other law enforcement agencies with more experience in such operations because of his unfounded conspiracy theories that prominent state officials are involved in child sex trafficking.
  • Members of a private group posed online as minors — despite Millersville police being told by prosecutors that the sting would be legal only if sworn law enforcement officers were the ones doing the work.
  • Shawn Taylor told one operative that investigators would be using “pre-signed search warrants,” which would likely be illegal, according to experts.
  • Police arrested one suspect then, when he refused to talk to investigators, they turned him over to the private group for questioning.
  • A Millersville detective boasted that the suspect was being taken to a jail where it was likely that he might not come out alive.

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240717120405/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/franklin-politics/disturbing-recordings-from-inside-child-predator-sting-shows-police-maga-operatives-ignoring-laws

      • Billiam@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Kinda funny how the party that isn’t sexually repressive or regressive doesn’t prey on children. I wonder what inferences could be drawn between conservative rhetoric and the sheer number of conservatives busted for child abuse. Is it just the power imbalance?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          I think there are many reasons. For one thing, they have the Christian vote locked up, and the sort of Christianity they preach is one where you can do any manner of atrocious things, ask forgiveness, be forgiven, then repeat the cycle. So many clergy that are even in prison for being sex offenders still get defended by their former parishioners.

          Another is definitely a power imbalance thing, especially when there is a lot of evidence tying psychopathy to business success. Lacking any real moral code is fine when you’re a rich CEO. As Trump said, “when you’re wealthy, they let you do it.”

          A third is that there are a lot of Republican voters who are so rabidly anti-left that they will literally elect a sex offender (Jim Jordan) over a Democrat.

          I’m sure people can suggest others.

          • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)@badatbeing.social
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            4 months ago

            Well this is all part of the cult indoctrination that has made conspiracy theories a cornerstone of how they interact and interpret the world.

            It’s going to take decades (or likely generations) to undo the damage done to the critical thinking of so much of this country. The fact that as you stated they would elect known sex offenders (Trump/Jim Jordon/Matt Gaetz) but still think it’s the “Radical Left” that is the demonic pedophiles is just cognitive dissonance at an alarming level.

          • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I’d love to find the flavor of Christianity that says you need to confess your sins and accept just punishment from the government for them. Without the conservative wink next to “just punishment” of course.

            • metaldream@sopuli.xyz
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              4 months ago

              Catholicism requires penance for sins, but not government intervention. I think that’s as close as it gets

              • skulblaka@sh.itjust.works
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                4 months ago

                Yeah, but Catholic “penance” is frequently, “put $20 in the collection plate and say a dozen Hail Mary’s and then Jesus will love you again”

                • metaldream@sopuli.xyz
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                  4 months ago

                  And confession is voluntary so only the true believers bother with it lol. But still better than having to do literally nothing to atone for your sins except say you love Jesus.

        • dumpsterlid@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          I think it is rather that conservatism has nothing to do with being conservative really at the end of the day, that is just the team colors these people wear to identify what team they are on.

          Conservatives are conservative so they can hate without guilt and so they can control and possess with violence and be rewarded for it. From this angle the synergy heinous shitheads see in being a Republican and being a pedophile (but also defining your public persona completely around hating pedophiles too) is pretty straightforward in my opinion. Also probably the most pathetic thing on the face of the earth.

      • NABDad@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Here’s the thing. I really believe that the Republican party is loaded to the gills with criminal creeps. However, if I were to share this list with any of my right-wing Christian acquaintances or (sigh) family, they’ll respond with “Democrats are worse!”

        Is there a similar list of Democrat Sexual predators, abusers, and enablers?

        Without a corresponding list, it makes it look like it’s just trying to make Republicans look bad (as opposed to just showing what they are).

        • flicker@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Why not just ask them to provide one? If they’re even worse, it should be easy to find supporting information.

          • NABDad@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I’d rather have both lists, and be able to point at the 53 pages of Republican predators and two pages of Democrat predators and say, "see the difference?"1

              • 20hzservers@lemmy.world
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                4 months ago

                You’re close, what they will actually do is say the list is proof of a cover up and that democrats just get away with it more. Source: My family 🙄

              • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works
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                4 months ago

                Just because your audience doesn’t listen to reason, it doesn’t mean that presenting a good argument is worthless.

                At least your doing things in good faith, we could leave it to the individual to decide if they want to take the moral high ground.

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        4 months ago

        Samuel Jason Ingle, Dean of Asheville Christian Academy and a graduate of Liberty University has been arrested for engaging in a sexual act with a student. While registered independent, he chose the GOP primary ballot.

        That’s not fair man. I’m registered independent and chose a GOP primary ballot because I wanted to vote against Trump as many times as I could.

        I couldn’t imagine being in his position and being accused of being a Republican because of that.

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Which is funny to me, because I’ve had two coworkers in two different orgs catch a set of bracelets for enticement of a minor using a computer, and neither one was a liberal.

      • kescusay@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Weirdly, same. Two different guys, both publicly pillars of the community. Both arrested for raping kids. In each case, they were just not at work one day, and our supervisors would just say, “So-and-so isn’t employed here anymore.”

        • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          That happened to me (kinda) the first time. I found out early because I got a a call about taking the on call phone (while already on call), and we were told not to talk about anything about it and he was totally coming back. But looking up the filing, we knew he wasn’t ever coming back.

        • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          General IT work. One was remote user support, the other was remote MSP work. Lots of really cool people in the industry, but apparently some super sketch peeps.

          • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org
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            4 months ago

            At my last job, the CTO told me how he was promoted, and how his predecessor was in the national news. Used state owned computers to chat up a minor for months and then flew across the country to meet up and was arrested. Funny enough, he was not a cross dresser or liberal. Just a small town conservative older white guy that nobody suspected and everyone respected.

            • kescusay@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              That’s practically the checklist for child rapists:

              ☑ Older
              ☑ White
              ☑ Small town
              ☑ Conservative
              ☑ Well-respected

              I’m guessing religious? Respected pillar of the church?

              Yeah… These guys know how to present themselves in ways to avoid suspicion.