Jason Scott White, 45, of Lower River Caney Road, was detained and later arrested over the Labor Day weekend after police say he allegedly attempted to meet a 14-year-old girl for “illegal acts.”
White was taken into custody on Highland Avenue in Jackson on Sunday, September 6, by officers from the Jackson Police Department. The JPD later contacted the Kentucky State Police, and Trooper Dennis Howard arrested White at 6:21 p.m.
According to arrest documents, White had engaged in online communication and chats with an underage female whom he believed was 14. In truth, the female on the other end of the line was a decoy for the group Kentucky Predo Pursuit.
Kentucky Predo Pursuit, also called Kentucky Predo Poachers, identifies itself as a group of volunteers who use decoys online to locate and expose potential illegal activity by suspected predators.
The group responds to online contact from potential predators and works to gather evidence, which is shared with law enforcement to build cases.
White, the latest and the twenty-first in a series of successful operations by the group, was lodged in the Kentucky River Regional Jail in Hazard at 8:28 p.m. on Sunday.
He was charged with one count of Procuring or Promoting the Use of a Minor by Electronic Means (Attempt) and one count of Promoting Human Trafficking- Victim Under the Age of 18 (Attempt).
According to Kypredopursuit’s press releases, White, who used the name “Jackel,” allegedly engaged in “explicit conversations with the decoy, detailing unspeakable acts he intended to commit.”
Information from the group indicates that White is alleged to have “actively tried to convince her to persuade her foster parents to let her live with him and his child, suggesting the foster parents could continue collecting state benefits for her,” which resulted in the human trafficking charge.
The operation that ultimately netted White was the cooperative effort of Kentucky Predo Pursuit, Commonwealth Attorney Miranda King and her staff, officers from the Jackson Police Department, and Troopers from Kentucky State Police Post 13 in Hazard.
Kentucky Predo Pursuit operates a YouTube channel that features interactions with, and the ultimate arrests of, many of the potential predators they encounter. They announced that the process of arresting White was sensitive due to the proximity of the Honey Festival to the arrest site and that they had chosen not to record for the safety of the public.
“Securing convictions is our top priority,” Kentucky Predo Pursuit stated in a release. “We are always willing to adapt to law enforcement's preferred methods to ensure a successful prosecution.”
Both charges White is facing are Class B Felonies, which, if convicted, could land him in jail for up to 40 years and potentially $20,000 in fines.
No date has been set for White’s arraignment in Breathitt District Court.
Additional charges may be added, and the case will likely be presented to the Breathitt County Grand Jury for possible indictments.
