Southern Illinois judge denies KTS Predator Hunters’ motion to dismiss man’s lawsuit
A Randolph County judge has denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed in September by a Red Bud man who claims that a “predator-hunting” group and its leader wrongly defamed him on Facebook by accusing him of “grooming” a 14-year-old girl for sex.
Ben Grohmann, attorney for plaintiff Adrian Collins, had filed a motion for voluntary dismissal on Dec. 3, but that motion was withdrawn at a hearing Thursday before Associate Judge Gene Gross.
The defendant, Kyle Swanson, founder of a Belleville-based organization called KTS Predator Hunters, also had filed a motion for dismissal with prejudice on Monday, representing himself. The judge denied that motion on Thursday after hearing arguments.
Swanson couldn’t be reached for comment. His organization had declared victory on its public Facebook page, KTS: Stop Sexual Assault, on Sunday after Grohmann filed the motion for voluntary dismissal.
“KTS Predator Hunters are free to continue doing the Lord’s work,” Jacksonville attorney Tyson Manker stated in a letter posted by KTS, identifying himself as “pro bono counsel” for Swanson.
Collins couldn’t be reached for comment on Thursday.
Red Bud resident Cathy Kovar, Collins’ grandmother who hired Grohmann to represent him, continues to maintain that her grandson is innocent. She said on Monday that he hasn’t been charged with a crime or investigated by police.
“Nothing was proved by KTS,” she said. “Adrian is not on any kind of pedophile list. Also, (Collins and his family members) are all being harassed by KTS followers and Kyle himself. ... There have been threats of bodily harm.”
KTS is a non-profit organization with more than 49,000 followers on Facebook. Leaders post photos, videos and other information to expose and shame suspected pedophiles. Members sometimes pose as underage girls online and lure men to various locations, presumably to have sex, and then videotape the confrontations.
Leaders say their undercover operations have led to arrests, but they’ve also been criticized by law enforcement for vigilantism that could interfere with prosecutions.
Collins’ complaint maintains that Swanson posted a Facebook conversation between him and a decoy identified as “Jordan Lane” on the KTS Facebook page in June, falsely called it a “sex trafficking situation,” insinuated that Collins was “grooming” a 14-year-old girl and referred to him as “very creepy.”
“Plaintiff did not inquire as to (Lane’s) age at the time of his conversation with her,” according to the complaint.
The complaint states that Collins has Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. According to the Autism Society, Asperger’s may be characterized by “awkward” social behavior, difficulty understanding social rules and lack of empathy.
The complaint maintains that Collins received threats after KTS posted the conversation and lost his job as a security guard at Red Bud Regional Hospital. On Monday, his grandmother said he struggled to find employment, eventually was hired at McDonald’s and quit after less than a month due to harassment by KTS followers.
The lawsuit is seeking in excess of $50,000 for compensatory damages and in excess of $50,000 for punitive damages.
“Defendants maliciously and intentionally caused the publication of the false statements to a Facebook page with thousands of followers for the purpose of harming the Plaintiff’s good reputation,” the complaint states.
Swanson listed a Belleville address on Sept. 18, when he filed his first motion for dismissal with prejudice, stating that, “Plaintiff was well aware of the age of the decoy.” Randolph County Judge Richard Brown denied that motion.
Swanson later asked for a substitute judge due to Brown’s friendship with Collins’ father, resulting in Gross taking over the case.
Swanson filed his second motion for dismissal with prejudice on Monday, stating that the request was “due to constant ongoing harassment by Plaintiff and/or Agents.” That was the motion denied Thursday by Judge Gross.
In his letter on Facebook, Manker referred to Collins’ lawsuit as “frivolous and baseless.”
“(It was) meant to silence Mr. Swanson and, ultimately, to enable child exploitation in Illinois,” Manker stated, describing the plaintiff as a “suspected John who found himself ensnared in a KTS child sex-sting operation.”
Manker stated that KTS would continue to work with law enforcement to make sure perpetrators who attempt to harm youths are brought to justice.
Predator-hunting groups can be found all over the country. Some were inspired by “To Catch a Predator,” a reality TV series that was part of NBC’s “Dateline” from 2004 to 2007. Police were involved in most of its episodes.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
