A popular YouTuber has hit back at a Pennsylvania police department which publicly accused him of weaponizing his five million subscribers to harass them into making an arrest.
The Lewistown Police Department has been flooded with complaints following a video released to YouTube on December 9 titled ‘Homeless Creep Tries to Meet 13-year-old — Lazy Cops Say “No Crime“‘ by YouTuber JiDion.
The 24-year-old urged his millions of followers to ‘make a fuss’ about the lack of action taken when he told authorities the man had admitted to trying to meet a 16-year-old girl and was accused of inappropriate contact involving a minor.
The department uploaded a picture of the Houston-based YouTuber to their Facebook page on December 13 in a lengthy post blaming him for clogging phone lines.
‘A 24-year-old YouTube content creator was encouraging his nearly 5 million subscribers to harass the department this week. If anyone had trouble reaching the department, this may be why,’ authorities wrote.
‘The YouTuber posted the department’s phone number and contact information and encouraged his viewers to harass the Lewistown Police Department.’
But JiDion told the Daily Mail he refutes the suggestion he ‘harassed’ the officers or encouraged any of his followers to do the same, noting: ‘All I want is to see justice, and I think that’s what other people want to see.’
JiDion, 24, a popular YouTuber, was accused of harassing the Lewistown Police Department after he urged fans to ‘make a fuss’ when they didn’t arrest an alleged child predator
In a video uploaded on December 9, the JiDion confronts a man allegedly trying to meet a 16-year-old girl
JiDion called police after the target of his operation allegedly admitted that he wanted to meet with the teenage girl he thought he had been talking to online.
But police said the man’s alleged actions technically did not constitute a crime.
‘The statute says “A person commits an offense if the person is intentionally in contact with a minor, or a law enforcement officer acting in the performance of duties who has assumed the identity of a minor”,’ police said.
This means ‘that a civilian communicating with someone while purporting to be a minor is not a chargeable offense.’
JiDion said he was ‘appalled’ by the revelation.
‘What I was appalled with wasn’t that they didn’t arrest him on the scene. What I was appalled with was when they called me and told me they weren’t going to do anything about it.’
He later shared the update on YouTube, adding: ‘Hey, urge these people to get this guy arrested because he’s going to harm a child one day.’
After posting his video, JiDion said officials called him and a sergeant said, ‘people are saying we’re not doing our job, even though there’s nothing that we can do.’
The Lewistown Police Department was flooded with complaints, where many claimed the authorities were protecting predators
The department released a photo of JiDion claiming that he was harassing them by using his followers
JiDion said the officer told him ‘morale is low at the police station because people are saying that they’re not doing enough to protect the people of Lewistown from predators.’
The YouTuber replied that morale should be low: ‘If you can’t get a child predator arrested, that’s one of the biggest things that people want to see.’
JiDion claimed that it was not only his followers ‘making a fuss to the police department, but the people of Lewistown are outraged as well.
‘I always tell my followers to peacefully and respectfully call,’ the YouTuber said, noting t was their first amendment right to voice their concerns.
In his latest discussion with a sergeant from the department, JiDion said that the case has been brought to the district attorney.
JiDion denied the claims and added that he always tells his viewers to reach out respectfully and peacefully
‘He told me he would let the district attorney know and said that if charges are filed, he wants me to put out a video saying they’re going to prosecute,’ JiDion claimed.
‘He also said that if charges aren’t filed, he wants me to put out a video saying the district attorney chose not to pursue the case. Either way, once he gets back to me, he wants me to put out a video that takes the blame off the department.’
The department said in the initial statement to Facebook: ‘Our small department is made up of many caring fathers, mothers, and even some grandparents, who have zero tolerance for the abuse of children.
‘We do not tolerate the immoral, perverse, people out there who do share sexually explicit images of minors nor do we tolerate anyone who seeks to corrupt the children of our community.’
The video was uploaded as a part of the YouTuber’s EDP Watch, where he tracks down alleged child predators.
He noted that only an hour and a half away in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, officers used their chat logs to help lead to an arrest.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Lewistown Police Department for comment.