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Don't Tread On Me hats are for douchebags.
This man is Curtis J. Hart, a "libertarian politician" from Kelso, WA. In addition to running a small-time online radio show and generally making an ass of himself, and losing elections by landslides in podunk towns, Hart runs his own joke of an online vigilante team called "The Punisher Squad." What a joke. I guess he must be desperate if he couldn't beat a 70 year old man for a podunk commission seat.
 
Vigilante group hunting potential child predators in Kelso
Maggie Vespa , KGW 11:19 PM. PST March 04, 2016
KELSO, Wash. -- Ask Curtis Hart if he considers himself a vigilante and you’ll get a blunt answer.
“I’ve been called worse,” he said.
Regardless of the title, Hart says he and roughly five of his friends, who call themselves the Punisher Squad, are serving a vital purpose. They’re catching potential child predators before they have the chance to strike, posting videos of their encounters on YouTube, and only calling police once it’s time for an arrest to be made.
Their first experiment, which happened Thursday, was a success in Hart’s mind.
The proof, being that of 36-year-old Adam Olson, of Castle Rock, who is behind bars, being held on $50,000 bond.
“He believed he was there to meet a 13-year-old girl to have sex with,” said Hart. “The whole thing was exactly like an episode of ‘To Catch a Predator.’”
According to the Kelso police report, Hart and a friend posted a message Thursday in the online app ‘Whisper’.' They posed as a 14-year-old girl, looking to “have fun with an older man”.
“Immediately, I got 30 to 40 responses,” he said.
Hart says he zeroed in on Olson. The two traded selfies, and Hart, still posing as the teen, said he was actually 13.
Quickly, reports show, the conversation became sexual.
“It was absolutely disgusting,” said Hart.
Hart said Olson pressed to meet the fake teen, so he rounded up some buddies, at least one of them armed, and headed to Kelso’s Tom O’Shanter Park.
He said Kelso police had no idea, until Hart and his friends decided it was time for officers to make an arrest, which they did moments later.
“We didn't want to leave it up to the police because you can't just sit around on your hands waiting for government to come and fix everything,” said Hart. “To wait for government is to want your city to end up like Flint, Michigan.”
It’s the same rationale used by similar civilian groups around the world.
The trend, in one city, was dubbed “The Hunter Phenomenon”.
Police elsewhere have pleaded for it to stop, saying it’s ruined lives, put civilians at risk and left would-be slam dunk cases riddled with holes.
KGW reached out to Kelso Police for comment on Olson’s arrest. We were told no one was available.
People living in Kelso and Longview, though, did want to talk about the idea, including David Willis. He has two daughters, and he’s all for it.
“The police are overwhelmed,” he said. “As far as a community, you want people to come together.”
Others were not so sold.
“They're not police,” said Bob Johnson. “They don't have experience. They don't know what they're doing, and we have laws that protect people that haven't done anything yet.”
Prosecutors in Cowlitz County have yet to file formal charges against Olson.
He’s being held on probable cause for one count of second-degree attempted rape of a child and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes by electronic means.
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Thursday, March 31, 2016
Meet Kelso WA wannabe libertarian vigilante Curtis J. Hart
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I have raised concern about the tactics performed by this "group" of vigilantes. I am interviewing him on Saturday, would you like to attend the interview? Because of his hostile personality, we demanded it would be at a public venue. He agreed to be interviewed at the Longview Public Library at 11:30 You can contact me on my FB page. Thank you for noticing the clear violation of civil rights that is happening in our county. The premise is wonderful, the execution is flawed to so the least.
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy too if not for the fact I live in Cincinnati, Ohio.
ReplyDeleteLaw enforcement screws up bad enough, we don't need wannabe vigilantes fucking it up worse.
Every assault should be directed to Laura Ahearn and john walsh for the registry after time served . Altho the fine print states that those that use this information for bad intent or to harm wil be in violation of the law . Thats just the fine print . The laws that follow are minimal with no recoarse or registry value . And for those who have served their time its time to fight back legally and peacefully . Too be left defenceless is a crime and that also pertains to those who feel their space is being violated . PFML is in violation when an assuallt take's place . Thus leaves the author with full responcibility and should face criminal charge's, trial and incarceration for every case including SORNA . The voice of vigilanty violence must be delt with aggression that has no innocents above the law .
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