How a group of predator hunters caught a sex offender in Chaska

Sex offender arrested after sting by predator hunter

An investigation by a group of citizens aiming to catch online child predators resulted in new charges against a registered sex offender in Chaska.

CHASKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - An investigation by a group of citizens aiming to catch online child predators resulted in new charges against a registered sex offender in Chaska.

What we know

Chaska police say a "private group of adults not associated with law enforcement" ran its own online sting to catch child predators over the weekend.

Posing as minors online, police say the group was able to catch a registered sex offender who is now facing charges.

Michael Shawn Klappenbach, 51, is charged with soliciting a child through electronic communications and engaging in electronic communications related to sexual conduct with a child.

Chaska police say Klappenbach is already a Level 3 registered sex offender.

Court records show Klappenbach served time following a 2008 arrest for criminal sexual conduct against a child in Belle Plaine.

Predator hunters catch sex offender

Karen Scullin spoke with members of a predator hunters group that helped lead to the arrest of a sex offender in Chaska over the weekend.

Facing charges

According to the criminal complaint, Klappenbach was charged following an investigation by the "Big Country Predator Exposure" group.

The group had created an online profile posing as a 12-year-old girl and allegedly communicated with Klappenbach over the course of a week in late November.

The charges state Klappenbach had reached out to the fake profile after the group made a post on a Taylor Swift fan page.

Big Country Predator Exposure notified the Chaska Police Department, who brought Klappenbach in for questioning on Saturday.

Speaking with police, Klappenbach admitted to contacting the profile and engaging in sexual conversations. Klappenbach also admitted to having other conversations with other girls he believed to be 15 years old, police said.

Chat logs included in the criminal complaint allege Klappenbach sent the girl inappropriate photos and encouraged the girl to perform sexual acts on him.