CLEARFIELD, Pa. — A Kersey man caught in an 814 Pred Hunters sting was sentenced to state prison Monday by President Judge Paul E. Cherry.
Michael E. Hanes, 24, pleaded guilty to felony criminal attempt/statutory sexual assault and was given a state prison sentence of 12 months to two years, according to a court employee.
He must complete sex offender counseling and is not permitted to have unsupervised contact with any female under the age of 18.
Although he was not declared a sexually violent predator, he will still have to register with authorities under Megan’s Law.
He was originally charged with felony counts of unlawful contact with minor, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with person less than 16 years old, aggravated indecent assault, corruption of minors and criminal use of communication facility by Curwensville Borough Police.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, police were contacted by the 814 Pred Hunters group regarding a suspect, Hanes, who had been chatting with one of their decoys. Hanes believed she was a 15-year old girl. They provided authorities all the information on the chats, messages, photographs and other media sent between the two.
A meeting was set up with Hanes at Irvin Park in Curwensville on Jan. 1. The plan was that the two would then go to her grandmother’s house which is next to the park.
In their chat logs, Hanes made it apparent early in their discussions that “this is absolutely not happening, you are younger than two of my little sisters. I do not date or have any relations with kids or teenagers.”
But, as the relationship evolved, Hanes called the decoy “downright hot” after seeing a picture and at one point sent her a naked photo.
The criminal complaint details how he discussed his sex preferences and various positions and how he would touch her. He made it clear in their conversations, that when they met, they would have sex.
When Hanes arrived at Irvin Park, the predator group notified Curwensville Police who responded and arrested Hanes who had both lubricant and condoms with him, according to the report.
The 814 Pred Hunters group has been operating in the area since Sept. in 2022. Members of the organization act as teen decoys who respond to older men who contact them online. All of their messages, photos, videos and other background are provided to local police. A meeting is then set up where the defendant is confronted and arrested by local police.
