Devon Weiss, 23, of Lansdale.
A Lansdale man is facing charges after vigilante investigators with a Texas-based sex predator hunting group submitted evidence to police showing he allegedly attempted to meet a 13-year-old boy for sex in Doylestown.
Devon Weiss, 23, has been charged with felony counts of attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person aged 13 or less, attempted unlawful contact with a minor, attempts to sell obscene/sexual materials, attempted corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility, court records show. He is currently free on $150,000 unsecured bail.
According to the criminal complaint, a civilian investigator with the Houston, TX-based “Predator Poachers” contacted the Central Bucks Regional Police Department on Aug. 10 regarding sexual communications he allegedly had with Weiss while working as a decoy pretending to be a 13-year-old male. The decoy said he had created a profile on the Grindr app and connected with Weiss, and the two began messaging each other through the app and later via text message, the report states.
During the conversations, the decoy told Weiss he was only 13 years old, to which Weiss replied. “Damn that’s young” and “Would love to see more of you, but I don’t know if I should,” police said. Weiss also sent the decoy a bare-chested photo of himself, as well as an image of his penis, according to charging documents.
On July 24, Weiss and the decoy agreed to meet at Veterans Memorial Park in Doylestown, with Weiss saying they could “cuddle, watch Netflix, have sex and play video games,” the report states. Upon Weiss’ arrival, the decoy then confronted him on his cell phone camera, at which point Weiss allegedly grabbed for the phone and drove away at a high rate of speed, police said.
Afterwards, the decoy provided all communications and evidence to police, along with the license plate of the vehicle at the meet up, which was used to identify Weiss as the suspect, police said.
Court records show Weiss was arraigned on Sept. 19 by District Judge Mark Douple, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Douple on Sept. 26 at 1:30 p.m.
Others Named by Vigilante Groups in Recent Years
As the amount of vigilante predator hunting groups continues to increase on social media and YouTube, several area residents have found themselves in the group’s crosshairs.
In January 2020, members of the Pennsylvania Predator Hunters (PPH) posted a video showing a 55-year-old former local firefighter allegedly attempting to meet a 15-year-old girl at the Exton Mall. The video, which quickly went viral across the region, ultimately led Towamencin Township Police to open an investigation into the accusations; however, no charges have been filed to date as former Towamencin Township Police Chief Tim Dickinson cited issues including criminal statutes and jurisdiction.
“What PPH has provided us is insufficient,” said Dickinson, in a January 2020 interview with North Penn Now. “We’re in the process of gathering information, looking through social media and things like that, but we’re basically starting from scratch. it’s going to be a long and arduous process.”
“If [PPH] had notified law enforcement of the online contact prior to arranging the meeting, we may have been able to do more,” Dickinson said. “Instead, we basically have to start the investigation from the beginning.”
Eighteen months later, in July 2021, a similar predator-hunter-styled sting by the Colorado Ped Patrol led to charges being filed in Atlantic City, NJ against 54-year-old Clifford Horn, of Chalfont, who worked as a corporal with the Central Bucks Regional Police Department.
Horn was ultimately charged with attempted child luring / enticing a child by various means, after he allegedly solicited sex from what he thought was a 14-year-old boy that he met on the Grindr app, police said.
“The concerned citizens were engaged in posing as underage children on various social media sites,” said the Atlantic City Police Department. “They would confront the individual and notify local law enforcement. The citizens provided the responding officers with screen shots of conversations and detailed information that was shared between the citizens and the suspects.”
Horn was among four total men arrested in that sting operation. Video of the confrontation between Horn and the Colorado Ped Patrol is available here.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child's current custody status.
See also:
Man Took Sexual Images of Himself at Public Park While Adults, Children Were in View, Police Say
Montco Man Accused of Killing Cat During Domestic Incident in Whitpain Township
Father Shot Attempting to Rescue Daughter from Assault in Lower Gwynedd
Parents Charged with Felony Child Endangerment After Taking Kids to Pick Up Drugs in Philadelphia
