Felony charges are expected to be filed Wednesday against a 46-year-old man suspected of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a teenage Temecula girl — only to discover that he was the target of a citizens’ predator sting.
William Vandenbush of Homeland was arrested Friday on suspicion of contacting a minor to commit a felony offense, arranging to meet an underage person with lewd intentions and sending pornographic material to a child.
Vandenbush is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
His case was under review Tuesday by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to Sgt. Joe Narciso of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Vandenbush allegedly communicated with the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, via the internet with the intent of persuading her to meet him for sex.
Narciso said deputies later learned the party with whom the suspect was communicating was part of a group of teens “conducting their own undercover” investigation of “potential” online predators.
The sergeant alleged Vandenbush “sent nude photographs and agreed to meet” the adolescent in Nicolas Road Park at Nicolas Road and North General Kearny Road shortly after 4 p.m. Friday.
Deputies were tipped off to the rendezvous, and when they arrived, they found the 6-foot, 320-pound suspect surrounded by “a crowd of approximately 20 juveniles recording the encounter,” Narciso said.
Vandenbush was taken into custody without incident, and the youths were questioned but not formally detained for anything.
Narciso said it’s preferable for sworn authorities to handle predator stings, rather than private citizens, and he encouraged “anyone with information related to child sexual abuse or online sexual exploitation of minors to immediately contact their local law enforcement agency.”
Background information on the suspect was unavailable.