Episcopal Priest Caught by ‘Predator Catching Team’ Soliciting Sex From a Minor
An Episcopal priest, Roger Alan Haenke, has been accused of soliciting sex from boys aged 14 and 15, according to the predator-catching group “People vs. Preds.”
The group creates fake profiles of underage teens on apps like Tinder and Grindr, engaging potential predators in sexual conversations to gather identifying information and stage confrontations, as well as report them to the police.
Similar to Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator,” these encounters are often recorded and shared on YouTube channels or blasted on social media channels like X and Facebook Live. In fact, there are whole YouTube channels of ‘decoy’s filming their phone calls and chat conversations with these pedophiles, leading up to their exposure.
In a recent video, Haenke, a registered nurse and priest at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chula Vista, CA, was confronted at his home, where he lives with his husband. Haenke admitted to using Grindr but claimed he only communicated with individuals over 18. When challenged, he admitted to sometimes continuing conversations after learning someone was underage. During the confrontation, he attempted to knock away the recording equipment, demanded not to be recorded, and retreated into his house.
The group uploaded a chat log allegedly from Roger Alan Haenke, in which a decoy posing as a 14-year-old boy is asked a series of sexual questions, and where the decoy solicits more information and “proof” of the predator’s identity, in order to ascertain their identity and location. (Warning: graphic content)
The church has not released a statement as of yet.
