Post by Joanna on Jan 16, 2019 16:10:46 GMT -5
To Catch a Predator Host Arrested for Bouncing Checks
TV journalist Chris Hansen, known nationally for confronting would-be child predators, has been snared himself after passing worthless checks amounting to approximately $13,000. The former To Catch a Predator host was arrested Monday (January 14) in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut, charged with issuing a bad check and released on a promise to appear in court.
Police say the 59-year-old journalist wrote two worthless checks to a local vendor for 355 mugs, 288 T-shirts and 650 vinyl decals he purchased in the summer of 2017. Peter Psichapaidas, the owner of the company, said he received a check from Hansen for $13,200 in April 2018, but it bounced. Hansen responded in an email claiming he “sold a boat” to cover the check. “Peter ... I truly thought I had this covered,” Hansen wrote. “I am scrambling to get it done. Please give me till the end of the day. I sold a boat to cover the rest of this and need to pick up the payment this afternoon.” However, according to Psichapaidas, such payment was not forthcoming.
Psichapaidas contacted the DA’s office about the worthless check, but Hansen failed to appear to make a statement to police. The charges were filed after the well-known TV host was warned he could be arrested for larceny. “I told Chris … that nearly $13,000 is a lot of money to a ‘mom-and-pop’ business and it is not fair that he accepted the material, but hasn’t paid for it,” investigator Sean Coughlin advised.
NBC’s To Catch a Predator ran from 2004 to 2007 and included sting operations for online child predators. More recently, in August 2016, Hansen replaced Matt Doran – whose thick Australian accent was irritating to American viewers – on Crime Watch Daily.
Sources: Fox News and The Associated Press.
