Post by Scumhunter on Nov 23, 2014 14:54:36 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: amw.com archives)
Fugitive Profile as of November 23rd, 2014 (Based on 2010 AMW archive, Hardin County Indiana online warrants search):
Aliases: Steven Smith
Sex: Male
Race: Black
Date of Birth: July 4th, 1960
Height: 6'1" - 6'2"
Weight: 211 lbs.
Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair):
-Black
-Pettiford typically shaves his head bald.
-He often wears a goatee.
Eyes: Brown
Traits and Habits:
-Pettiford claims to be a private contractor for the U.S. Army.
-He could be using Yahoo! Chat ID's "klpcook" or "mwants1nitestand" while lurking in chat rooms, seeking out vulnerable prey.
-He likes to drink beer.
-He's known to use the following websites to meet women: Yahoo.com, Tagged.com, swappernet.com and swingerszone.com
Possible Locations:
-Africa
-Kokomo , IN
-International
-Pettiford claims to be a U.S. Army contractor, and could be hiding out in Africa.
Who to call if you've seen him: Based on wanted location, our advice would be to call the Kokomo (Indiana) Police Hotline at 765-456-7017, or Central Indiana Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS
Accused Online Predator Gets The Shock Of His Life
Lt. Don Whitehead leads the Computer Forensics Section of the Kokomo Police Department in Indiana. Throughout his shift, he trolls online chat rooms with the intent of finding child predators looking to pick up underage boys and girls.
Though he doesn't spend all of his time at the computer, instant messages from potential predators pop onto Lt. Whitehead’s screen with an unsettling frequency whenever he signs into his account.
Lt. Whitehead doesn't initiate a single conversation. Instead, he idles in chat rooms, using an alias, pretending he's an innocent teenage girl. The results of his undercover work are profoundly disturbing.
For instance, on March 30, 2009, Lt. Whitehead was contacted by user "klpcook" in a Yahoo! chat room -- and he knew immediately that he was about to net yet another cyber-predator.
Less than an hour into their first conversation, Lt. Whitehead had already set up a sexual encounter with "klpcook." Whitehead's femme fatale alter ego agreed to meet "klpcook" at a local grocery store. When the details of the rendezvous were set in stone, "klpcook" signed off.
Moments later, another user, going by the name "mwants1nitestand," contacted Lt. Whitehead. "Mwants1nitestand" tried to pick up Whitehead's teenybopper alias as well but soon began to feel that he was speaking to a cop.
Lt. Whitehead did his best to convince "mwants1nitestand" that he was not a police officer, but the skeptic wouldn't buy his story. He abruptly signed off after a 20-minute chat. He'd ended their conversation by writing, semi-jokingly, "ok bye cop."
While "klpcook" never showed up to meet the “girl” that afternoon, he set up another meeting for 12 p.m. on April 1, 2009. When Lt. Whitehead asked if "klpcook" was definitely going to show up this time, he said that he would, because "im horny."
At 11 a.m., cops arrived in unmarked vehicles to the grocery store where "klpcook" was set to meet his teenage victim. Lo and behold, at 11:35 a.m., a man matching "klpcook"s description showed up and entered the grocery store.
Moments later, he walked out with a soda and a case of water in his hands -- but made no attempt to contact the decoy “teen” the Kokomo police planted outside the store. The decoy was, in fact, an of-age Kokomo city employee who agreed to help out on the mission.
Moments later, when "klpcook" sped off from the parking lot, Kokomo police pulled over his car and Lt. Whitehead met him face-to-face for the first time.
Ind. Cops: Predator Weaves Intricate Lies
At the traffic stop, the man identified himself as Kenneth Pettiford, of Muncie, Ind. When cops asked him if he intended to meet the young girl who he assumed he'd been speaking with online, Pettiford told them he did not -- and he knew that the whole ordeal was a set-up. Pettiford told cops he was "just going along with it for fun."
Pettiford then told detectives that he was en route to meet an adult woman in Kokomo but at the last moment, she said she was unable to meet up with him.
After he picked up some groceries at the supermarket -- a number of miles out of his way -- Pettiford told cops he was going to change course and visit a relative in nearby Marion.
But then curiosity got the best of him. The only reason Pettiford told cops he showed up at the grocery store to begin with was because he wanted to see if the young girl was actually going to be there.
According to reports, Pettiford then told them that over time, he'd used his charm to meet hordes of ladies he'd met online. He claimed to have set up anywhere between 20 and 50 sexual encounters -- all of them with adult women.
After their chat, cops told him they'd be seeking charges against him for online child solicitation, but they had to let him go until they could examine the contents of his home computer.
Through their investigation, authorities verified that he was not only using "klpcook" to pick up women, but he used "mwants1nitestand," as well. A bench warrant was issued two days later, and Pettiford was quickly apprehended.
But when he failed to appear for his trial in mid-November 2009, cops came knocking on AMW’s door.
Alleged Online Predator Brazen As Can Be
During their conversations, Pettiford told Lt. Whitehead that he works as a private contractor for the U.S. Army, and would soon be shipping out to Africa.
Cops have been unable to verify his claims, so he may very well still be in the country. They say he's still using his same Yahoo! Chat screen names "klpcook" and "mwants1nitestand."
Thoughts? The above was the AMW archived profile of one of their web-exclusive fugitives. Pettiford claimed to soon be going to Africa, however it couldn't be confirmed he actually worked for the Army. Not to mention, wherever he is in the world, these guys don't stop preying. That's why it's so important Pettiford is caught. And Chris Hansen hasn't done a Dateline special in years, so it will be up to us to catch him.
web.archive.org/web/20100331141802/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=71940
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