A 35-year-old Delray Beach man is facing multiple felonies after police say he showed up at a local pizzeria Monday night to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy for sex. Officers say they moved in after a volunteer anti-predator group alerted them and that the man kept up sexually explicit conversations even after being told he was chatting with a minor. He was booked into the county jail later that night.
Arrest At Marco’s Pizzeria
According to CBS12, Delray Beach officers were called around 8 p.m. to Marco’s Pizzeria on West Atlantic Avenue after a report that a man was trying to meet a minor there. Police say the suspect, identified as Benjamin Edward Phillips, had been exchanging messages with a decoy working with the civilian group 561 Predator Catcher and agreed to meet in person at the restaurant.
Investigators told CBS12 that text logs show Phillips sent an explicit image and continued sexually explicit chats even after the decoy told him he was 15. Officers say the phone number in the messages was matched to the device found on Phillips when they detained him at the scene.
Who 561 Predator Catcher Is
The decoy was working with 561 Predator Catcher, a civilian anti-predator operation led by local MMA fighter Dustin Lampros that has livestreamed confrontations across Palm Beach County, as previously reported by WPBF. The group’s approach of confronting suspected predators on camera, then handing over chats and video to police, has earned both fans and critics in the community.
Local coverage, including reporting on the debate over civilian stings, has highlighted ongoing questions about public safety, vigilantism, and how far private groups should go in trying to expose alleged predators.
Charges And What They Mean
Police say Phillips has been charged with traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual activity, lewd or lascivious conduct, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device, according to CBS12. Under Florida law, traveling to meet a minor after using online or electronic communications is a second-degree felony. The statute expressly states that it is not a legal defense if the “minor” is actually an undercover officer or other operative posing as a child (Fla. Stat. §847.0135)…