Just over a year ago we shared a story with you about a Michigan civilian was going online and posing as teen girls in order to “lure sexual predators” into meeting. Obviously he was hoping to meet men wanting sex with a minor. He then videotaped the encounter and turned all of the evidence over to the local police. However, when you check out his YouTube page entitled AnxietyWar, there hasn’t been activity in over nine months. No new videos or staged meetings. So what’s up? Has he given up on his vigilante crusade? Let’s take a look…

The self-styled vigilante, who was later identified as 23-year-old Zach Sweers of Grand Rapids, Michigan, dedicated his YouTube page to videos of him “hunting sexual predators.” Sweers would create a phony persona, usually a 13 0r 14-year-old girl, and then engage in online conversations with older men. The men that he talked to were all operating under the assumption that he was an underaged girl. Over time the online relationship would develop, and a meeting would eventually be scheduled. The older man would pick a time and place to meet, but when they showed up they were confronted by Sweers, handing a camera and armed with pages of pages of printed online dialogue.

Sweers would then submit the video recordings of the meetings and records of all conversations to the local police. As a result, numerous men were tried and convicted of Accosting a Minor For Immoral Purposes. But then everything went south in Kent County. Grand Rapids Police Department met with Sweers and advised him to stop, citing the danger in what he was doing. According to Sgt. Terry Dixon of the GRPD, “We have advised this individual to stop doing what he’s doing. It’s a dangerous, very dangerous thing that he’s doing. He’s been asked time and time again to discontinue this practice.” Clearly Sweers wasn’t listening.

Then the lawsuits started. Sweers was sued first by Zachary Snoeyink, 29, and then shortly after that by Alastaire Kolk, 25. The two sued Sweers separately, for libel, slander and invasion of privacy. Sweers was accused of creating criminals for monetary gain. However he later created a GoFundMe page to help raise money for a lawyer and there he claimed that he had made no money at all. The lawsuits were later settled out of court, although therms of the settlement are undisclosed.

After the lawsuits were settled, Sweers faced another obstacle – his videos documenting interactions with alleged predators were all removed from YouTube and other social media sites. Sweers fought this and was ultimately able to get his videos and posts reinstated, but not without a fight. And finally, the primary reason driving Sweer’s efforts – the hope of convicting sexual predators – was taken off the table. The Grand Rapids Police Department made a statement to the press that they would no longer be following up on information provided to them by Sweers. Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth referred to Sweers efforts as “freelance law enforcement” and said that in an effort to get Sweers to stop, they would not longer pursue any cases he brought them.

For now, Sweers has stopped “hunting predators” as he calls it. Not according to his Facebook page, where the most recent post claims that he is ‘flying under the radar’ while working to catch more Michigan predators. But that was in February, and there’s been nothing since. So what now? No one knows, but we will keep our eyes and ears open, just in case. This situation is a good reminder of the fact that when you are online, people are often not what they claim to be. This applies to both the people seeking sexual encounters with minors, and to the people claiming to be minors. In fact, it can apply to anyone at any time, in any situation. If you have been caught in an online sting operation, our skilled sex crime attorneys attorneys can help you. Call 866 766 5245 immediately to discuss your case with an experienced defense attorney.