St. Leon man arrested after sting by online predator group

(ST. LEON, Ind.) – A St. Leon man has been arrested following a sting from an online vigilante group that targets suspected child predators. 

Predator Poachers Kentucky organized a meeting with 48-year-old Justin Hoffman on Sunday night and contacted the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office to respond.

The online group told investigators that Hoffman had sent illicit messages, photos and video to a decoy that posed as a 13-year-old girl who lived in a different state. 

The alleged communication had begun on TikTok on September 21 and transitioned to texting before all communication stopped on October 6. 

Hoffman was interviewed by the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office and allegedly admitted to knowing he was texting a 13-year-old girl. He also told the investigators he had no intention of actually meeting her.

Hoffman is scheduled to have an initial hearing on Wednesday morning. 

Predator Poachers is a nationwide group of volunteers who conduct undercover operations targeting suspected child predators using decoy accounts. 

Here is video provided by Predator Poachers Kentucky:

https://youtu.be/hCxu37F4uLM