Courtesy of Predator Poachers
Audio By Carbonatix
The Longmont Police Department arrested 29-year-old William McRoberts on June 19 on suspicion of possession of child sexual abuse materials and other related charges, around two weeks after the department had a public kerfuffle related to the matter with the Texas-based social media group Predator Poachers.
Predator Poachers — which has amassed around 250,000 followers on Facebook and over 360,000 on YouTube since its start in 2019 — was performing a “sting” on a man (allegedly McRoberts) at Lefthand Creek Park on June 9. The group livestreamed the “predator catch” and later posted it to social media, showing founder Alex Rosen confronting the man and claiming he had been attempting to solicit sex from a decoy father and daughter.
Rosen said McRoberts would not be arrested because Boulder County was part of “the liberal kingdom of Colorado.”
Longmont police took offense to the claims, promising in a follow-up press release that it would be looking into the situation with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. The department also sniped back at the group, stating that they are not trained law enforcement and should not “attempt to investigate or confront individuals on their own.”
That investigation only lasted around a week, with detectives finding 62 child sexual images on his devices and proof that he did interact with Predator Poachers while believing “he was communicating with a 13‑year‑old” and “arrived at the park expecting to meet her”, according to an announcement from the district attorney’s office.
“I appreciate that, with no advance notice here, the Longmont Police Department jumped into action and moved as quickly as they did to gather and review all of the evidence,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.
Predator Poachers haven’t mentioned the arrest, but did claim in another post that they have helped over 325 convictions nationwide. The group has run into other controversies, however, with founder Rose allegedly harassing anti-ICE protestors in Houston and openly supporting President Donald Trump.
The Longmont incident wasn’t the only “predator catch” the team held while passing through Colorado. They also completed another sting on a man in Denver who allegedly admitted to abusing students at his job at Sewall Child Development Center.
The childcare facility later posted on social media that it had placed the man on leave and was helping the Denver Police Department with the investigation, but it’s unclear whether the man has been arrested since the incident. Denver Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McRoberts was given a $150,000 secured bond with no cash option and will be formally charged on June 23.
