CLEARFIELD, Pa. — A Clearfield man testified that the 814 Pred Hunters group targeted him prior to his arrest for attempting to have sex with an underage decoy during his trial on Tuesday in Clearfield County Court.
In spite of his denials, a jury found Ryan William Altmeyer, 41, guilty of felony counts of criminal attempt/statutory sexual assault and criminal attempt/corruption of minors. The jury of eight men and four women did acquit him of criminal attempt/sexual assault. It took about 90 minutes for them to reach the verdicts.
Judge Joshua Maines stated that before he can be sentenced, Altmeyer will undergo an evaluation to determine if he is a sexually violent predator.
Deputy Assistant District Attorney Tami Fees, who prosecuted the case, said in a post-trial interview that she was pleased with the verdict. She called the 814 Pred Hunters and similar groups an “amazing tool to protect children without actual exposure,” but added that the interaction must be done properly.
814 Pred Hunters is a local group that has been working with decoys online to catch potential child predators in various states for the last few years.
Fees stated the charges could give Altmeyer a sentence of 30 months up to 20 years in prison.
Altmeyer stated several times while on the stand in his own defense that he was not a child predator. “I told them (the girls) many times that is not me,” he said.
Altmeyer accused the decoys of setting him up, as he was aware of 814 Pred Hunters and their methods. He stated he knew they were not 15-year-old girls. He claimed that they and other members of the group were calling him at work.
Altmeyer could not explain why he arranged and followed through with meeting one of the girls at Lower Witmer Park in Clearfield, even after he saw a police presence there, when Fees questioned him during her cross-examination.
“I knew they were going to get me, one way or another,” he said.
Altmeyer also claimed he mentioned being set up in his interview with police.
Fees played a portion of Altmeyer’s interview for the jury, and Altmeyer did not at any time mention this, and he even apologized for his actions.
When Fees asked if he wrote the messages, some of which discussed various sexual positions, leading to the charges, he did not deny it.
In his closing arguments, Ken Pennington, Altmeyer’s defense attorney, pointed out this case did not involve any actual minors because both decoys were over 18. He claimed that the girls would direct their conversations back to sex whenever they discussed other things.
Pennington explained Altmeyer accused both girls of lying about their age and working for the predator group, so he believed they were adults. He identified that as the critical issue in the case.
“If he believed they were adults and not minors, as he testified, you have to find him not guilty of all charges,” Pennington finished.
Fees questioned again why Altmeyer would go to a meeting if he thought it was a setup as part of her closing arguments.
She also questioned his logic: why talk about cuddling and watching The Lion King or other Disney films if he thought they were adults?
“He believed both girls were 15 and he wanted sex. Thank God it was not two actual 15-year-olds testifying today,” she said.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, the decoys posing as teens online reported that Altmeyer asked for pictures of them in specific clothing and messaged about meeting them.
At different times, he asked if they were decoys, which they denied.
He reportedly stated that he wanted a relationship, “not just sex” and talked about them showering together.
One of the decoys told Altmeyer her aunt was dying and started messaging him less. Instead of stopping, he started messaging her even more. They made plans for a meeting at Lower Witmer Park on Nov. 20.
The group advised Clearfield Regional Police of the potential meeting. Police stationed officers nearby and after they spotted Altmeyer, they took him into custody.
Altmeyer denied intending to have sex with her in an interview with investigators. Instead, he stated that he only wanted to “hangout” and “I figured if it was going to happen, it would happen,” according to the report.
