HOUSTON — The Harris County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges in a La Porte case involving a civilian group's confrontation of a resident accused of online child solicitation, directing investigators to conduct forensic examinations of electronic devices.
La Porte Police Department officers responded in April after the confrontation. The group presented messages, photographs, and digital evidence to officers.
John Krueger, assistant chief of the La Porte Police Department, said, "A lot of citizens think that law enforcement can simply receive information and go and make an arrest. It is not that simple." Krueger asked, "How did they uncover this evidence? Were there coercion or threats?"
Jamie Burro, division chief of the Harris County District Attorney's Office Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Division, said, "We tend to refer to them as vigilante groups." Burro said, "The issue with some of the vigilante groups is that they are not always as familiar with exactly what the penal code requires." She asked, "What if somebody that they are confronting over this is armed? What if it becomes a conflict?"
Prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a suspect intended to commit sexual assault of a child or another qualifying offense to secure a conviction for online solicitation of a minor. Burro said, "All of our officers have been through the training to become certified in chatting so they know what is allowed and what is not allowed."
Authorities state that civilian groups can improve prosecution outcomes by contacting law enforcement before conducting public confrontations.