Vigilante pedophile hunters bust Florida Atlantic University student who tried meeting 13-year-old decoy for sex

A Florida Atlantic University (FAU) student has been arrested on child sex crime charges following a joint independent sting operation conducted by the vigilante groups "561 Predator Catchers" and "People v. Predators." Christian Joseph "CJ" Walden, 21, and an LGBTQ activist and elected member of FAU's student government, was taken into custody on Tuesday after arranging to meet a 13-year-old decoy boy for sex.

Walden has been charged with obscene communication - traveling to meet/lure a child using a computer. His bond has been set at $5,000, according to jail records.

On May 26, Walden was arrested outside of the Home Depot on 1400 Waterford Place in Palm Beach County while attempting to meet a minor for sex. However, the minor was a decoy going by the name "Justin," who informed Walden via direct messaging that he was 13 years old. The communication began on the dating app Grindr, then moved to text messages, according to an arrest affidavit.



From there, Walden scheduled to meet the decoy at Home Depot "so the two could engage in sexual activity, specifically oral sex," court documents state. One of the text messages Walden sent to the decoy read: "Well maybe we can chill and give each other head and makeout." This, after the decoy told Walden that he was a minor, per court documents.

Dustin Lampros, the face of "561 Predator Catchers," reported Walden to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office after he arrived outside the Home Depot, which led to the defendant's arrest. Tim Johnson, of "People v Predators," acted as the decoy in the sting operation while Lampros was on scene during the arrest. The two groups have a record of securing arrests after conducting their own pedophile sting operations, which include posing as minors on social media, including dating apps, and communicating with adults who take interest in the decoys.

FAU's Student Government Boca House Speaker, Jack Nixon, scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday to initiate impeachment proceedings for Walden, who is the university's House of Representatives Ways and Means chair, University Press reported.