I’m a channel surfer, but when I happen to see an episode of the long-running TV show “Cops” I have to stop what I am doing to watch it for a few minutes. This fall “Cops” starts season 26, so many other people must like it, too. Maybe we think we’ll see someone we know or maybe a relative! With 26 seasons, we’ll be seeing the show for the rest of our lives. Now we have “Cops Reloaded” for our viewing pleasure.

I also watched the show “To Catch a Predator” when it was on. Law enforcement personnel would set up an internet sting operation and lure male adults to a house. These men were lured into the trap because they were hoping to have sex with an underage girl in the 12-15 age range. The men knew the age of the person they were meeting long before they arrived at the house from their internet chat sessions.

“To Catch a Predator” placed hidden cameras around the house and lo and behold some idiot would show up at the house to have sex with an underage girl. They would not only get busted by the police, but they would be guest stars on reality television. I always wondered how they explained their actions to their wives, children, and their bosses.

These two shows enlightened us to the fact that people can do really stupid things – and sometimes alcohol and drugs are not even used. They also showed us how creepy and sick some people are – and that the world is a very dangerous place especially for our children.

The Great Falls (MT) police department along with state and federal law enforcement agencies recently conducted a similar sting operation. According to a story in the Great Falls Tribune, authorities posted a message on websites saying something like:

Looking for a man who can teach my 12 year old niece to be a woman. Not looking for a pen pal. Contact me if interested.

You would think that most people would not even visit websites where they might find this ad, let alone actually respond to it.

If you think that, then you would be wrong.

So far they’ve nailed six morons from near and far. These predators could receive “a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison” if found guilty, according to one report and another report says “They each face up to 100 years in prison.”

As they say during the “Cops” show, “All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law” but I am all for the 100 years each sentence if they are found guilty.

The last person arrested, Thomas Anderson Quinton, reportedly drove to Great Falls from Canada. It’s about 120 miles to Great Falls from the Canadian border. According to KRTV (CBS) in Great Falls, “he is married and has three children between the ages of 2 and 8.”

Thomas has some ‘splainin’ to do.

Another man reportedly drove to Great Falls from Butte, Montana, for his sexual encounter. That’s about 155 miles.

Thanks go to the Great Falls Police Department for making our community safer.

Finally, comedian Ron White released an album back in 2006 called, “You Can’t Fix Stupid.” After reading about these six people, I think Ron White is on to something.

I’m on Twitter @TheWesternWord

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