Sonoma Judge Drops Charges Against Sailor Stemming From 'To Catch A Predator' TV Show
SANTA ROSA (TMZ) -- A sailor caught as a result of Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator" has been acquitted of all charges, after the judge ruled that the TV program engaged in entrapment.
Joseph Roisman was prosecuted for lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor, after allegedly arranging a meeting with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl.
Sonoma County Judge Arthur Wick threw the charges out after the prosecution presented its case, ruling prosecutors failed to prove Roisman had an intent to have sex with the decoy.
The judge also lashed out at the tactics of the people responsible for "To Catch a Predator," saying "They took everything away from this kid just to make a TV show."
The judge added, "This case is the poster child for the abuse in this program."
There were 29 arrests as a result of the Dateline NBC sting; 28 of the defendants pled guilty without going to trial. Roisman's was the only case of the 29 that went to trial.
Dateline NBC could not be reached for comment.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. Article republished with permission of TMZ.)
