A Waterloo man was charged in connection with an incident captured on video Saturday during which he is alleged to have made arrangements to meet a minor for the purpose of “sexual conduct,” according to information filed Monday in Monroe County Circuit Court.

Andrew M. Wagner, 28, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse (indecent solicitation), grooming, solicitation to meet a child (age 5 or older) and traveling to meet a minor.

Court documents allege Wagner used electronic means in an attempt to “solicit a person whom (Wagner believed) to be a child… for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct.”

The filing also indicates Wagner knowingly solicited a child believed to be “under the age of 17 years to perform an act of sexual penetration or aggravated criminal sexual abuse” after having “discussed, by means of the Internet” such an act and traveled within Illinois on Oct. 25 for that purpose.

A video released Saturday  via the “Online Predator Intervention” Facebook page and YouTube channel includes a recording of an incident that day at Moto Mart, 409 State Route 3 in Waterloo.

Online Predator Intervention is a private, civilian group which seemingly acts separately from official law enforcement departments, contacting local authorities once an in-person meeting with a suspected sexual predator has been arranged. 

The recorded encounter on Saturday shows Wagner, the Waterloo Police Department and an off-screen man recording the occurrence on behalf of the OPI.   

A shortened version of the recording circulated widely via Facebook on Saturday afternoon.

The Facebook version is nearly 2.5 minutes in length and shows  mainly the traffic stop, a conversation between the WPD officer and Wagner, and then Wagner’s subsequent arrest.

The incident presented on the OPI YouTube channel is almost 16 minutes in length and includes a conversation between Wagner and the OPI representative and also between an off-screen WPD officer and the OPI representative.

The YouTube video begins by recording Wagner being signaled to stop by a police vehicle as Wagner begins to pull into a parking spot on the south end of the Moto Mart property.

The WPD officer then explains his department received a report of “suspicious activity” involving  Wagner’s vehicle.

Wagner responds by telling the officer he was  simply “pumping gas” prior to driving to the parking spot.

The officer then points to the individual recording the encounter and asks him to confirm he was the one who contacted police.

The cameraman then states Wagner had been communicating with a “decoy” which Wagner was led to believe was a 14-year-old boy.

He explained the initial contact occurred via Grindr, which is described on the company’s website as “the world’s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people.” 

The OPI representative then claims communication continued via cell phone text messages, during which Wagner is alleged to have shared explicit sexual images and messages. 

He points out Wagner directly acknowledged the age of the “decoy,” indicating Wagner was aware he believed he was speaking with a minor. 

The WPD officer continues to question Wagner, and Wagner states his intention was simply to “hook up” with the individual.

Wagner then clarifies “it was just someone I thought was attractive” and that the “hook up
was not sought “specifically because he was that age (14).”

The WPD officer then asks on video if Wagner “was aware” the individual was only 14, which Wagner confirms.

Wagner also tells the officer he thought the person he believed he was meeting was “attractive” and “there are not a lot of people around here” who share Wagner’s sexual preferences.

Wagner also tells the officer he is “not from around here,” later clarifying he grew up in Waterloo but has since moved away and had only recently returned to attend his mother’s funeral.

According to Wagner’s personal Facebook page, he earned an international relations degree from McKendree University after graduating from Waterloo High School  in 2015.

His “about” information also states he has been employed as a teaching assistant at Technos College, a vocational school near Tokyo, Japan, since 2019. 

The Facebook video concludes with Wagner being arrested by the WPD officer, with a separate video post showing Wagner’s vehicle being towed.

Near the 2:15 mark of the YouTube video, the assisting WPD officer asks the OPI representative for his ID, and the conversation that follows reveals details of how members of the OPI group orchestrated this sting operation – including details of how evidence was collected.

The OPI representative offers to share a “probable cause” folder with the off-screen officer. He also explains which Illinois state statutes have been used in recent similar operations in Franklin and Madison counties.

The sound is muted during the proceeding few minutes of the video but returns as a WPD officer explains he is on a phone call with a member of the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s office.

The OPI representative then answers more questions and agrees to meet officers at the WPD station to submit an official report following Wagner’s arrest and transport. 

Screenshots of the text message thread between Wagner and the “decoy” – an individual pretending to be a 14-year-old boy – contain the conversation  which led to the meeting and eventual arrest Saturday and are displayed during the final four minutes of the YouTube video.

Graphic portions of the conversation and nude photographs shared by Wagner are edited or redacted. 

The Waterloo incident was only one of several recent sting operations conducted by OPI, many times in tandem with separate groups which share a similar mission of duping those suspected of sexually exploiting minors into scenarios designed to lead to their arrest.

Based on information on various OPI online platforms, it appears members compile irrefutable evidence of illegal intent, contacting local law enforcement officials when the in-person meetings have been arranged.

This premise is similar to the 2000s NBC reality TV show “To Catch a Predator,” which was canceled in 2008 following the suicide of a Texas public official who had been “caught” in conversation with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old.

Similar TV shows followed the cancelation of “To Catch a Predator.” 

The original show and those following have generated debate and even court cases regarding the legality and ethics of such methods.

Following his arrest Saturday, Wagner was arraigned Monday at the Monroe County Courthouse, and a pretrial detention hearing was held Tuesday in Waterloo.

Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb accepted a continuance of the pretrial detention hearing until Nov. 18 to allow Wagner to undergo a psychological evaluation by Dr. Daniel Cuneo, a psychologist who has an extensive history working with metro-east judicial circuits. 

Wagner will remain in custody at the Monroe County Jail pending the psychological evaluation – and possibly longer depending on the ruling on a motion to deny pretrial release when it is heard next month.