Man who allegedly tried to meet teenager for sex at Granger restaurant faces charges
GRANGER — St. Joseph County Prosecutors have filed charges against a man who reportedly planned to met a teenage girl at a Granger restaurant for sex.
Flemming Ryland, 42, of Cassopolis, is charged on three felony counts of sex crimes against children after detectives reviewed phone conversations between Ryland and members of a group called Predator Catchers Indianapolis.
Members of the group, which is not law enforcement, posed as "Amy," a 14-year-old girl, on dating apps. Ryland messaged "Amy" in April, court documents say, and began communicating through text messages.
More:'Predator hunter' groups work across Michiana, but officials say they do more harm than good
In text messages and phone calls with members of the group posing as "Amy," Ryland described sex acts he wanted to do with the girl, court documents say.
Members of Predator Catchers-Indianapolis set up a meeting at a restaurant on State Road 23 on Oct. 20 and posted a video of their confrontation with Ryland that day about his contact with their decoy account.
During the video, St. Joseph County police officers arrived and talked to Ryland outside of the restaurant after learning he had intended to meet a 14-year-old there for sex, court documents say.
According to police, Ryland admitted he knew "Amy" was 14 years old and continued to discuss sexually explicit topics, court documents say. He also told officers he sent "Amy" photos of his genitalia and had planned to meet her at the restaurant for lunch and then intended to have sex with her.
More:Former Brandywine teacher charged with soliciting sex from minor after civilian "sting"
The charges against Ryland come amid an increase in the activities of civilian “predator catcher” groups across the state, who pose as underage children and conduct “sting” operations they post to social media.
In April, Berrien County prosecutors charged a Brandywine High School teacher with sex crimes after he was seen arriving at a hotel room to meet an underaged child in a video posted online by the groups Bikers Against Predators and Predator Catchers Muncie.
However, many prosecutors and law enforcement officials have said such groups create dangerous situations and can hinder investigations.
Ryland is charged with child solicitation, vicarious sexual gratification, attempted sexual misconduct with a minor and a misdemeanor count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors. He could be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Meetup for sex at Granger restaurant leads to criminal charges
