How a Houston Predator-Catching Group Led to an Evangeline Parish Arrest
VILLE PLATTE, La. (KPEL News) — A Ville Platte man faces eight felony charges after a Houston-based predator-catching organization confronted him at his home in December following a two-month online investigation.
Quentin James Ortego, 40, was booked into Evangeline Parish Jail on December 3 after investigators say he spent months messaging what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. According to the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office, Ortego faces one count each of computer-aided solicitation, indecent behavior with a juvenile, and child grooming, plus five counts of pornography involving juveniles.
EDP Watch, also known as Expose Dat Predator, ran the operation. The nationwide organization creates decoy profiles to catch adults who solicit minors online. The group's founder, YouTuber Jidion Adams, told KLFY that Ortego used his personal social media account to send explicit messages and images to the decoy.
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What Evangeline Parish Families Need to Know About the Investigation
Adams said the messages between Ortego and the decoy went on for about two months, but Ortego would disappear and come back.
"I believe Quentin was kind of an on-again, off-again situation where he was talking to our decoy for, I believe, two months before we decided to go get him," Adams said.
Adams said Ortego avoided phone calls or texting and wanted to keep everything on the app. Adams said Ortego "liked to have all the conversations on the app and would also ask our decoy all the time to send him grotesque stuff."
What Ortego was asking for pushed Adams and other EDP Watch members to drive from Houston to Ville Platte to confront him at his home. Adams said Ortego admitted things on camera.
"He admitted to having child pornography on his devices that he would delete before his wife would look through his phone," Adams said.
How Law Enforcement Became Involved
After the confrontation, Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office deputies were called to the scene on Lamar Road. Family members were outside the home when law enforcement arrived.
Deputies took Ortego's phone as evidence. Adams said investigators could grab the device because of what Ortego said during the confrontation.
"They listened to him admit everything, which gave them enough probable cause to take his phone," Adams said.
Detectives got a search warrant to pull everything off the phone. After they reviewed what they found, they got an arrest warrant.
Ortego was arrested December 3. He's still in Evangeline Parish Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Understanding EDP Watch's Role in Predator Investigations
EDP Watch works in multiple states to catch adults who try to meet minors they find online. The group sets up fake profiles and waits for adults to make contact.
Adams, 24, used to make prank and comedy videos on YouTube before he started confronting suspected child predators. According to media reports, Adams has been conducting predator stings full-time since July 2024 and says he's approaching 90 cases that have resulted in arrests.
The group uses the same approach as law enforcement child crime units — they pose as minors online and save everything. Adams said his decoys are trained to let suspects dig their own holes instead of pushing conversations in sexual directions.
EDP Watch has worked with law enforcement agencies across the country. Some agencies have praised the group's work, while others worry about civilians doing investigations normally handled by police.
What Louisiana Parents Should Do to Protect Children Online
After Ortego's arrest, Adams pushed the message that parents need to watch what their kids do online. He warned that predators will do "any and everything" to harm children if given the opportunity.
"It's not about being a helicopter parent or being overprotective," Adams said. "It's all just being a good parent."
According to Adams, predators use Instagram, TikTok, Roblox, and other apps popular with kids. He tells parents to actively check their children's conversations and online activity.
"There is no such thing as an invasion of privacy when it comes to protecting your child from these monsters online," Adams told media outlets in previous cases.
