TRIGGER WARNING This article contains information about sexual assault.
Ethan, a 20-year-old college student from San Francisco, has utilized Snapchat’s new gender-swap feature to expose potential predators on Tinder.
Ethan used the feature to pose as a 16-year-old girl named Esther. He created a Tinder account under the guise of a 19-year-old girl, but claims he was communicating as a 16-year-old. “Esther” caught the attention of one man, Robert Davies, a 40-year-old San Mateo police officer.
Police have stated that the two initially spoke on Tinder in May, before switching to Kik Messenger and eventually Snapchat. According to police and Ethan, Davies acknowledged he was speaking to a minor, and continued to communicate on Snapchat about engaging in sexual activity.
Ethan claims that the pair were exchanging messages for over 12 hours until he sent screenshots of their conversation to Crime Stoppers. Davies was arrested last week by San Jose police; on suspicion of discussing sexual activity with a minor on social media.
Davies has since been placed on paid administrative leave. San Mateo police Chief Susan Manheimer released the following statement about the arrest:
“This alleged conduct, if true, is in no way a reflection of all that we stand for as a Department, and is an affront to the tenets of our department and our profession as a whole. As San Mateo police officers, we have sworn an oath to serve and protect our communities. I can assure you that we remain steadfast to this commitment to serving our community with ‘Professionalism, Integrity, and Excellence.’
According to NBC Bay Area, Ethan told police that he had a female friend who had been assaulted as a child. Which spurred his decision to create an undercover profile to identify predators.
“I was just looking to get someone,” Ethan said. “He just happened to be a cop.”
