SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio —- A New Boston man is in jail today after an Indianapolis-based “to catch a predator” group confronted the man for trying to have sex with a child.
Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman said his office was alerted by the group regarding Randolph Victor Hockenheimer, 54, who had been contacting the group believing he was communicating with an underaged female.
The sheriff said the conversation was of a sexual nature. Hockenheimer, the sheriff said, also sent inappropriate pictures to who he believed was an 11-year-old girl. Officials said that the man wanted to meet the girl at the local Walmart, and that is when, reports say, the group confronted him on camera.
The group calls themselves “PCI – Predator Catchers Indianapolis.” According to the group’s website, PCI Predator Catchers is a “group of volunteers aiming to continue to learn and collaborate with local law enforcement, local prosecutors, and other groups working on this cause, on protecting our communities and youth against online child predators.”
The group currently has nearly 40,000 followers on YouTube.
Thoroughman says Hockenheimer was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted importuning and one count of disseminating matter harmful to a juvenile.
Additional charges, could be forthcoming against Hockenheimer, law enforcement said.
**WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE: