tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:50:19 PM): listen
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:50:38 PM): i did it with a 15 year old before
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:50:48 PM): and i came reall close to being caiught
tracy_in_xcess (07/21/06 4:50:56 PM): how did that happen
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:51:25 PM): we stay out all night and fell asleep in my truck
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:51:25 PM): it was daylight when she got home
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:51:32 PM): the cops called me moday
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:51:35 PM): monday
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:51:50 PM): she was very dumb
tracy_in_xcess (07/21/06 4:52:04 PM): this was last mon?
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:52:09 PM): no
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:52:15 PM): about a year ago
tracy_in_xcess (07/21/06 4:52:17 PM): oh
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:52:20 PM): i meant
tracy_in_xcess (07/21/06 4:52:26 PM): well im not dumb like her
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:52:27 PM): we went out sat
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:52:55 PM): and i head the voicemail when i was at work that next monday
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:53:02 PM): heard*
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:53:22 PM): u know what the detective told me
tracy_in_xcess (07/21/06 4:53:25 PM): wat
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:53:29 PM): after calling me 3 times
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:54:16 PM): i told him i met her on the ineternet and she lied and told me she wa18 and it was late at night and could he have told the diff
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:54:22 PM): u know what he said
tunnels12000 (07/21/06 4:54:55 PM): no he couldnt have and this wasnt her first time and not to see her anymore

This wasn't David Hilbish's first attempt at having sex with a minor, but fortunately he wasn't successful this time. Yes, he admitted to me in chat, and to the authorities, that last year he spent the night with an underage girl he met online. In his words, they did everything short of intercourse. Most disturbing of all was that he was caught but the police took no action beyond warning him to stay away from her. Well, the warning obviously didn't have much of an impact on him. We'll probably never know if he has molested other children, but from our experience with predators such as him it's quite likely. The bad news is someone had the chance to stop him over a year ago and didn't. The good news is we did.

Hilbish was anything but shy. He was constantly pressuring \"Tracy\" to engage in cyber sex with him. He told her he was 27 when in fact he was 38, easily old enough to be her father. He also knew exactly what he was doing and he knew the consequences. He mentioned repeatedly in chat that it was illegal and he could go to jail for having sex with her, but that obviously wasn't enough to deter him. Like all child sex predators, he was so determined to have sex with a child that he was willing to risk his freedom to do so. Twice. Or perhaps even more than twice. I can only hope he doesn't have additional, unknown victims out there.

Another disturbing aspect of this man is that he was a licensed explosives technician. A man who can't control his urges to have sex with children possessing bombs? I think most people would agree that's a very bad idea. Fortunately, the federal government thinks so too because they have now revoked his license.

If you saw the Dateline special on Harris County, you may recognize Hilbish. Despite telling \"Tracy\" that he wanted to take her to a hotel and wouldn't come in her house, he came in anyway. And once inside, instead of the 14-year old girl he was expecting he met Chris Hansen and a camera crew. He admitted to Hansen during the interview that he was engaged and had custody of his two young sons. When he left, he walked into the waiting arms of Harris County Sheriff's deputies.

Way to go, David. Not only have you given up the next six years of your life, branded yourself a sex offender for life and lost your career, you've also left your sons without a father for most of their childhood, without your financial support, and with the shame and humiliation of having a sex offender and convicted felon for a father.

I can't say enough good things about Mark Post, the Harris County prosecutor who sought and obtained some of the toughest sentences we've seen in these cases, or Judge Peters who handed those sentences down. Perhaps if more prosecutors and judges followed their example, we here at Perverted Justice would find ourselves with a lot less to do.