Dateline Predator Sting

I watched the first Dateline Predator show and found it novel and fascinating. There was something "off" about it, though. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time. I watched the next couple of episodes, and I finally figured out what was bugging me about the show.

Bottom line, these men were being accosted on national TV, arrested, led away in handcuffs, and put in jail because they "thought" they were doing something wrong. None of these men ever talked with a minor, much less had sex with one. These men all "thought" they were chatting with a minor; they "thought" they were going to see a minor; and yet they were not interacting with a minor at all - ever!

So my question is, "Is it a jailable offense to do something you 'think' is illegal, even though you have actually done nothing illegal at all?" The men on Dateline chatted online with cops who were way past 18, and visited a house where there was a young woman who Dateline said was over 18. Where is the crime?

If the speed limit is 65, but you "thought" it was 45, and you were driving 65, should you get a ticket because you "thought" you were speeding?