"Well I'll watch ya!”
- Kevin's response after the decoy informs him that she is getting changed.
Kevin T. Westerbeck is a child sex predator that was caught in the Greenville, Ohio edition of To Catch a Predator. He is known for his short stature and overlapping predatory activities at the time of his exposure.
Biography[]
Kevin was a budget analyst for the U.S. military, employed as a civilian at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He lived in Ohio his whole life and was married.
Kevin Westerbeck was first arrested after he sexually assaulted his niece, who was under the age of thirteen. Kevin's niece was staying with him during a weekend. The child became frightened because of the thunderstorm. For comfort, she went to Kevin's room. Kevin violated her trust and touched her inappropriately. Kevin confessed to his counselor that he had sexually abused the child, revealing he had performed oral sex on her and that she had touched his penis while they were in bed together.
He was arrested again in August 2005 after the Fairborn Police Department executed a sting operation, which resulted in the capture of Kevin for solicitation of a child. He was charged in October of that year. Kevin was given a few days to "put his affairs in order" by the judge. He was expected to go to the prison to begin an eleven-month sentence a few days after getting caught in the Darke County sting.[1]
Chat[]
Westerbeck struck up a conversation with "Destiny," a girl he believed to be thirteen. Kevin lies about his age, claiming to be twenty-seven years-old. Kevin said he was looking for a hookup and hinted he would want to make out with the girl after only four minutes of conversing. He inquired as to whether the girl was "frisky" and if she desired physical contact with him. Kevin insisted she tell him what she wanted to do and said he liked girls who knew what they wanted to do. Later on in the conversation, Kevin declared that he would be fully naked when they met and instructed the decoy to do the same. He declared that he desired to kiss and have sex with her. Then, Kevin claimed to be "big" and have an eight-inch-thick penis. He wanted to stay the night and inquired about the girl's "tightness."
A day later, Kevin claimed he was reluctant to visit the house because when he looked for directions, he couldn't find the number the decoy had given him. He asked if she was a police officer and noted he was attempting to get her to explain what she wanted specifically when they met because cops are not permitted to solicit for sex. He insisted over and over that the decoy tells him that she desired sex. On March 25, 2006, Kevin was scheduled to visit the sting house, but he canceled saying he had to move some things to his parents' home. The next day, Kevin got in touch with the decoy and revealed that he would soon have to appear in court to begin an eleven-month prison sentence. He also admitted he was in trouble for trying to have sex with a minor. Kevin explained that he kept asking her for information because he thought police officers were not allowed to ask, and only permitted to agree with what the other person says. He said that when the decoy asked him what color vehicle he had, the cop who caught him in the previous sting did the same. The two continue their conversation before scheduling a meeting.
Confrontation[]
On the day of the meeting, Kevin shows up and receives a vocal greeting from the decoy. The decoy told him to wait at the barstool while she changed, though Kevin offered to watch her as he tried to follow her voice. Kevin was ordered to sit down by Chris Hansen, who arrived to prevent him from wandering further inside the home. Kevin nervously waddles over to the bar and munches on some chips; Chris advised Kevin to sit on the stool to get a better filming angle due to his height. When Chris asked about his plans, Kevin asserted that the decoy initiated the conversation and that he came over to say hi. He claimed he wasn't planning on going, but he chose to go because the decoy invited him. Kevin continues to insist that he doesn't want to have sex with the girl and that he had no idea of her age, guessing that she was either sixteen, seventeen or eighteen. Chris points out that, during their online interaction, the decoy openly stated that she was thirteen.
Kevin asserted that the girl informed him that her grandmother was away, that she often begged for him to come over, and that he would visit for a short time before returning home. When Chris questioned Kevin about what he had said online, he said he couldn't recall, but that the girl had asked if they could take a shower together. Kevin continued to argue he didn't have any sex in mind even after Chris pointed out that he had the chat logs. Even though he admitted to engaging in sexual conversation online, he opted to do so with the girl. He claimed he only sent the decoy a picture of his pet bird, a cockatoo, but this was a lie. When Chris questions him about his prior arrest, Kevin admits that he was arrested for trying to meet an underage girl in Fairborn. Kevin confirms that he entered a guilty plea and that he was scheduled to appear in court the following week to determine if he would be considered a registered sex offender. When Chris questions him about why he came over since he was charged with the same offense, he replies that it was "stupidity" and that he "didn't expect it to be like that." Westerbeck also claimed the only image he sent to the decoy was a picture of him with his cockatoo on his head. Although he did send this photo, it was not the only photo he sent.
When questioned as to why he lied about being twenty-seven, he responds that it was "chat crap." Later, he asserted that his explicit conversation log was just "bs (bullshit) talk." Kevin referred to himself as "stupid" and "weak," and he continued to insist he had no intention of having sex, even when Chris reminded him that he was due to go to prison in less than a week. When Chris asked him about a black suitcase spotted in his car Kevin insisted that "stuff", including his bible, were in his briefcase. Chris asked Kevin if he was religious, and Kevin said that he was and that he had faith in God. Chris confronted Kevin about why he had come over to have sex with a young child if he was so religious. Kevin asserted that despite turning around, he came over because the decoy had called him to come over. Then he says that even though he had intentions of sex in the first sting, he had not with the girl in the current one. Kevin insists that he asked sexually suggestive questions since the female initiated them and he was playing along. Chris queried Kevin if he had seen Dateline's reports on online predators, and Kevin said that he had. After being exposed on national television, Kevin is escorted by security guard Ron Knight through the house's front door. Upon leaving, Kevin is arrested by the authorities.
Police interview[]
Kevin claims that he was fatigued from carrying things to his parents' place. The decoy got in touch with him over the phone and "begged" him to visit the sting house. Kevin insisted he kept saying no but went because the decoy kept "begging". He calls himself "stupid" and brought up the decoy's pleas for him to come over once more. He claimed that the reason he went over was because he had nothing else to do. After the detective asked Kevin if it was "one for the road" before starting his eleven-month prison sentence, Kevin maintained that was not his intent. Kevin asserted that he had already "learned [his] lesson the first time." The detective dismisses his lies, pointing out that he drove from New Lebanon an hour and a half away to meet a thirteen-year-old girl who was home alone and talked about the size of his penis with her.
Aftermath[]
RSO pic of Kevin.
Just a few days after the Darke County sting, Kevin went in front of a judge to find out whether or not he would be a sex offender. The judge was informed that Kevin was caught in the Dateline sting. The judge concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that he would commit future sex offenses. Kevin started serving his initial eleven-month sentence; in addition, he was given a ten-year prison term for raping his niece. For being caught in the Dateline sting, he was subsequently given another nine months.[1] After being released, he was given the "Sexual Predator" designation by the State of Ohio, which is the highest level sex offender designation requiring him to register every 90 days for the rest of his life.[2] Shortly after leaving prison, he moved back in with his mother.
In August 2020, Kevin was spotted and photographed stocking shelves at a Kroger store, although the poster of the image claimed that he may have lost this job in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic.[3]
Trivia[]
- Likely the result of a genetic or medical condition, he is technically classified as a "dwarf" being an adult under 4’10” or 147cm.
- His last name is often parodied as "Molesterbeck" in online communities.
- Has a Ren & Stimpy tattoo on his left ankle.
- Chris Hansen claimed on his podcast that he has information from several sources that Westerbeck was sexually assaulted multiple times during his incarceration.
- Westerbeck is one of few predators subjected to direct post-sting trolling. While he wasn't catfished as severely as Stanley Kendall or Lorne Armstrong, Joey called Westerbeck and his mother once ironically wishing him a Happy Easter, as well as pretending to be James Rutherford and asking Westerbeck if he had received any strange phone calls. Shortly after leaving prison, he was called by a female fan through his mother's home phone, and lied about being employed and looked after in prison. The latter call is negatively perceived by fans because the woman talks too much and Westerbeck's audio is too quiet.
Gallery[]
