Caught on camera, but not charged: Why many vigilante child predator stings don’t make it to court

The videos can be infuriating to watch. A man who believed he was communicating with a child is confronted in a parking lot, outside a home or at a restaurant. Cameras are rolling. The confrontation is streamed live or uploaded to YouTube. The suspect is embarrassed publicly. Then police arrive. And in many cases, nobody goes to jail. Recent incidents in Liberty County and La Porte have renewed questions about why alleged child predators caught by civilian sting groups are often not immediately arrested or charged. According to law enforcement officials and prosecutors, the answer comes down to one thing: proving a criminal case in court.