Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
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Debbie Dujanovic ReportingAn Eyewitness News Investigation exposes a growing threat to our families. The long trail of men, their dirty tricks and a crime you need to understand. It's not something you haven't already heard about, but detectives say it's a deeper, darker problem than parents realize.
We discovered: hundreds, maybe thousands, of Utah men trying to meet your child. They troll at work, at home, after their wives go to bed. And it's working. One in three teens says they've talked sex online with strangers like these.
Our investigation took us down hallways, to dozens of doors, trying to understand the men arrested for the crime.
Capt. Chris Ahearn, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force: "These people are clearly way out of bounds, way over the line, only care about themselves. And destroying someone else's life is not a consideration, as long as they get what they want."
Men trolling for sex on the Internet is not new. What we uncovered is. The problem is not limited to a few number of sex offenders. More and more evidence points to the fact that the problem is enormous -- hundreds of Utah men are out there at all times of the day.
We found the offenders are clever, conniving, using a variety of tricks to manipulate their innocent victims. We watched as men offered money to meet. Some promise a girl chance to drive. One suspect was caught with gifts, and lingerie.
Scott Swift promised to keep it a secret. His capture uncovered a string of teen victims
Rhett McQuiston, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force: "He admitted to having full sexual intercourse with all seven of these girls."
There's never a slow night. We spent five nights undercover with two squads: the Attorney General's and the Tooele County Sheriff's.
Rhett McQuiston: "I don't think the average parent in the Salt Lake Valley has any clue what goes on in these chat rooms."
Detective Jim Dekanich, Tooele County Sheriff's Office: "The chats we deal with are explicit, to say the least."
Rhett McQuiston: "For example, tonight I would say 11-year old female, from Ogden. One of the first questions they ask, 'Are you a virgin?'"
At times, 25 men creep onto the screen.
Chris Ahearn, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force: "Vile, disgusting and inappropriate."
Jim Dekanich, Tooele County Sheriff's Office: "All kinds of sex acts, from regular sexual acts to bondage cases. We've had stuff involving fetishes that are very strange, very unusual."
They're willing give up their freedom for it. The trail of men never ends. We watched one man get busted, then another man. Then we dug through jail records and discovered dozens of other Utah men arrested for the crime. Statewide, detectives are on track to arrest 200 men this year alone.
Chris Ahearn: "You're damaging individuals. You're damaging the lives of entire families. Stop your behavior."
To show you how fast it happens, we went online, posing as a 15-year old Salt Lake girl. In just 30-minutes, a dozen men contacted us. Without any prompting from us, the conversations turned sexual in just about eight minutes.
Tomorrow the story continues. On KSL Newsradio at 9:00 am. We'll take your questions and demonstrate live how fast predators strike. Then on Eyewitness News at 10:00, they did the crime, so why aren't they doing the time? We analyze how fast they're back home.
