Lewistown man arrested after predator sting video Evidence supported the charges, police say
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LEWISTOWN -- A Lewistown man was arrested days after a group of private citizens confronted him on Valley Street in Lewistown, an incident that later drew widespread attention on social media and prompted questions about police response.
In a Facebook post Friday, the Lewistown Police Department said the arrest came only after investigators obtained admissible evidence, interviewed the suspect under proper legal conditions and established probable cause for multiple felony charges.
Randy E. Moore, 32, was taken into custody on Friday and lodged in the Mifflin County Correctional Facility in Lewistown. He faces attempted statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, indecent assault and criminal use of a communication facility. Police said Moore admitted he believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl and consented to a search of his phone, which was seized for forensic examination.
The arrest followed a chain of events that began on Wednesday, when officers were asked to respond to the 500 block of Valley Street for a report of a group confronting a purported child predator, according to the social media post. Police did not respond to the scene, citing longstanding guidance on how to handle incidents involving private citizens posing as juveniles online.
According to police, these confrontations often produce edited video, coerced statements and recordings made without consent, all of which can jeopardize legitimate investigations and lead to evidence being suppressed in court. Police said they have been instructed not to participate in staged confrontations because arrests made under those circumstances rarely lead to convictions.
Officers spoke with a member of the group by phone and advised him to preserve any evidence until investigators could consult with prosecutors.
The individual told police he was frustrated that they would not respond. The department said the group then pressured Moore into riding with them to the police station, with several men trespassing on his property and threatening to contact his employer if he refused. Officers declined to interview Moore at that time, concerned that any statement made under coercion would be inadmissible.
The group called 911 and the non-emergency line several times. Police identified one member as a 25-year-old YouTube content creator from Texas who had been involved in a similar incident in Lewistown in October 2025. During the Wednesday encounter, the group also called an investigator from another county while video recording the conversation without the investigator's knowledge, raising potential wiretap concerns.
Police said they had previously told the same content creator not to confront suspects and had explained what was required to successfully prosecute these cases. They said the individual did not follow that guidance on Wednesday and appeared focused on creating content for social media. The group posted a series of edited videos that night, drawing widespread attention.
On Thursday, detectives met with the district attorney's office and attempted to obtain chat logs from the group. The evidence was not provided until late on Friday. Only after receiving the chats could investigators begin piecing together what had occurred.
Police said the chats showed Moore began communicating with a decoy profile on July 4. The profile initially listed the female as 19, but Moore continued messaging after she repeatedly stated she was 13.
The messages escalated quickly, with Moore sending photos, requesting explicit images and discussing plans to meet. He also expressed concerns about being arrested and referenced sexual acts he intended to perform. The decoy agreed to meet him on Wednesday.
Moore voluntarily came to the police department on Friday for an interview. He waived his Miranda rights and admitted he believed he had been communicating with a 13-year-old girl. He provided consent for investigators to search his phone, which was seized and is pending forensic examination. Police said Moore has no prior criminal history involving minors.