BOONE COUNTY, Ind. — Court documents say the only thing that stopped a Mooresville man from meeting up to have sex with a 14-year-old girl he met on Instagram was a fear that she might’ve been a police decoy. Turns out, the “teen girl” was indeed a local detective.
Joshua Hatter, 32, was arrested and charged last month in Boone County with two counts of felony child solicitation. Last week, he was released from jail after paying a $2,000 cash bond.
Decoy accounts and ‘To Catch a Predator’
Police first became aware of Hatter on June 3 after his “madhatteryo” Instagram account followed a 14-year-old high schooler and messaged her account. Except the girl wasn’t real and was instead a decoy set up by the Lebanon Police Department to catch potential child predators.
Court documents detail how Hatter expressed disappointment when the decoy account clarified her alleged age, stating “I’m probably double your age” and “I was hoping 18 lol.” He reportedly said they could continue talking “as long as it isn’t sexual.”…