Latest news with #Takedownwith
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chris Hansen speaks on Alabama sting operation resulting in arrests
BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — A recent Blount County undercover operation to catch online predators landed two men behind bars. The Blount County Sheriff's Office arrested Chase Andrew Abercrombie and Kody Ray Smith. Investigators said they were working with Chris Hansen. He hosts 'Takedown with Chris Hansen' and was the face of 'To Catch a Predator.' Abercrombie and Smith were charged with human trafficking, electronic solicitation, sex offenses involving minors and traveling to meet a child to perform a sexual act. Woman found dead outside Birmingham residence The men thought they were speaking with an underage child online. When they arrived at a sting house, however, deputies met them. Hansen said he found one detail of the sting disturbing. 'What surprises me about this particular sting is that one of the men, who is 30 years old, Kody Ray Smith, had just gotten married two weeks before he showed up at the sting house to try to sexually exploit, allegedly, a 15-year-old girl,' Hansen said. Abercrombie posted bond, while Smith was in custody as of Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Child predator investigation in Livingston Parish featured on celebrity true crime series
WALKER, La. (Louisiana First News) — Last month, a three-day sting operation led to 11 arrests in Livingston Parish. Deputies got a bonus from working with a celebrity investigator. Chris Hansen is known for his work on Dateline's 'To Catch a Predator' and series like 'Takedown with Chris Hansen,' which is on his true crime streaming service, TruBlu. The veteran journalist has become famous in popular society for his investigations alongside law enforcement agencies about child sexual predators. 'Twenty-one years into doing these predator investigations, and guys are still showing up,' Hansen said. In February, Hansen and deputies with LPSO's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force set up at a home to catch people. Deputies pretended to be a 14-year-old child online, and some men pursued the fake child to the point of agreeing to show up to the home for sexual purposes. The sting resulted in 11 arrests, including a Baton Rouge school worker, future police officer and people from different backgrounds and occupations. 'Next thing you know, here we are, arresting this person who's coming after this child,' said Sheriff Jason Ard. The task force started in October 2023 when the Louisiana Attorney General's Office partnered with LPSO to create a unit specifically targeting child predators. Ard said the group started with only one investigator and has quickly grown as the work is proven necessary. The work led to 56 arrests across the world last year, according to sheriff's office statistics. That work impressed Hansen, who has done some investigations in Louisiana. 'It caught Hansen's attention, and he reached out to me,' Ard said. 'We started having a conversation.' Ard said the work is far from easy, and no normal officers can take it on. These task force members often spend countless hours conversing with predators to convince them they are safe from arrest, and they have to witness some of humanity's worst features. 'Sometimes 24/7, they are dealing with these predators, trying to get them,' Ard said. Hansen said the sting was worthwhile, and he respects the deputies who led the way. 'It was very successful, as you've seen,' Hansen said. Hansen said it is important for parents to stay vigilant. Predators can use any type of social media account to target children, and even ones that seem protected can be home to criminals. 'It's harder to detect now, but it's happening more than ever before,' Hansen said. The full investigations can be seen on the streaming service TruBlu along with other sting operations Hansen has been part of across the country. Child predator investigation in Livingston Parish featured on celebrity true crime series Warehouse accused site of fraternity ritual that leaves 1 man dead; EBR leader speaks out Is Social Security money going to 'millions' of people listed as old as 149? GOP plows forward with government funding plan despite Democratic opposition Livingston Parish enhances animal control and expands shelter services Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Yahoo
Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, TV personality Chris Hansen partner to catch predators
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office is partnering with journalist and TV personality, Chris Hansen to protect children around the area. Sheriff Jason Ard announced the collaboration with the star of the TV series, 'To Catch a Predator', on Friday. 'This week has been a great week for law enforcement,' said Ard in a Facebook video. 'We have gotten a lot of people off the street, a lot of these criminals. The ones that we all want to get off the street, more than anything are our predators, those that are after our children.' Ard and Hansen sat and gave an overview of what was uncovered after his three-day investigation alongside the LPSO's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. 'It was a pleasure to work with the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office and his detectives, who were incredibly dedicated to catching predators,' said Hansen. 'In the span of three days, we caught 11 men. If we had worked a few more days, there would be even more. We saw guys who were in a police academy in New Orleans, we saw guys who had been arrested before with a criminal history, and we saw white-collar executives. It was truly shocking and it shows me as we do these all over the country, if you're not doing this type of work as a law enforcement agency, you're allowing the departments who are doing the work to push the problem into your parish.' The sheriff emphasized the consequences if you are caught attempting to prey on children. 'We want to protect our children here in Livingston Parish,' said Ard. 'I know criminals don't care about jurisdictional boundaries, we don't care either. If you want to come to Livingston Parish, you'll get what's coming to you and it's probably going to be Jason Ard's motel. So, we'll proudly send you down there and proudly feed you and keep you there all day.' Viewers can watch the operations firsthand on Hansen's TV show, 'Takedown with Chris Hansen' on TruBlu Streaming Network and Fox Nation. Meet the man NFL stars turn to for custom fits and fashion Trump revokes Biden's security clearance: 'Joe, you're fired' Is raising chickens the best way to combat egg prices? Trump signs order to establish White House Faith Office Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, TV personality Chris Hansen partner to catch predators Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
