"To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen is wanted by authorities after he skipped a Michigan court appearance.
Shiawassee County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Koerner confirmed that a bench warrant is out for Hansen, who was subpoenaed to be in court Thursday in Shiawassee County in connection with a sex trafficking case in which he helped investigators arrest three suspects, according to NBC 25.
Hansen was part of the sting operation that took place in 2020. In efforts to lure sex predators, authorities went onto online chat rooms posing as minors, the outlet reported. After communicating with 171 people, three men attempted to meet up with who they thought were young girls between the ages of 13 and 15. With the help of Hansen, police were able to arrest the three men.
"We worked with Chris Hansen to use his platform to reignite the awareness and the enforcement of what’s happening here and to duplicate it around the nation," said Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, referring to the Hansen's popularity that came from hosting the popular NBC series "To Catch a Predator," which ended in 2007.
Commenting on his failed court appearance, Hansen explained that there was a miscommunication.
"The court matter in Shiawasse Co, Mi today resulted from a predator investigation there," he wrote in an Instagram post. "Defense lawyers for accused predator Michael Lott had requested video from the investigation. There was miscommunication about a hearing today on the issue. The matter is currently being resolved!"
Hansen has had previous run-ins with the law. In 2019, he was arrested after allegedly purchasing about $13,000 of goods from a vendor with bad checks, according to NBC News. Samford Sgt. Sean Scanlan told the outlet that an arrest warrant was issued for him at the time after he refused to speak with authorities.
The following year Hansen was charged with harassment in Hoboken, New Jersey, according to court documents obtained by People. Details pertaining to the incident were unclear, but the court documents listed a "civilian" as the complainant and noted the offense date as Feb. 5. 2020.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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