Accused Child Sex Predator Said He Didn’t ‘Want to See Chris Hansen.’ That's Exactly Who Was Waiting for Him By Liam Quinn 12

A Maryland man who allegedly believed he was talking to a teenage girl said that he didn’t want to see Chris Hansen, the former To Catch A Predator host — but that’s exactly who greeted him when he went to meet her, police say.

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler says his department partnered with Hansen’s show Takedown with Chris Hansen to launch a sting operation that led to the arrests of nine men.

Gahler alleges that the men arrested had believed they were going to meet up with an underaged boy or girl.

One of the men, Tyler Devault, 33, had exchanged messages with a deputy he believed was a 14-year-old girl, the sheriff claims.

“He tried to ascertain if she was a cop [and] actually commented that he doesn’t want to see Chris Hansen from the show [To] Catch a Predator there waiting for him,” Gahler alleges.

When Devault allegedly arrived at the home, carrying a pizza, according to the sheriff, he was indeed greeted by Hansen.

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According to online court records, Devault is facing one count of sexual solicitation of a minor.

It is not immediately clear if he has entered a plea.

“When I was first approached about conducting this operation, it was my sincere hope that we would come up empty-handed, that we would find there were no predators that wanted to terrorize our kids here in Harford County, and that the operation would end with zero arrests,” Gahler says. “But sadly, that was not the case at all.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.