Former 'To Catch a Predator' host Chris Hansen is briefly arrested after failing to show up in court to present video evidence in sex-trafficking case
TV host Chris Hansen turned himself in to authorities after a Michigan judge put out a warrant for his arrest when he did not show up to court to present video evidence in a sex-trafficking case.
A bench warrant was issued on Friday for the 61-year-old former host of NBC's 'To Catch a Predator' after he was a no-show for a hearing at Shiawassee County jail in Corunna on Thursday.
Hansen failed to appear in court to testify about an October police sting operation that led to the arrest of three men.
Chris Hansen, 61, turned himself in to authorities on Friday and was released later that day. A judge issued an arrest warrant for Hansen after he failed to show up in court on Thursday
Hansen updated his Instagram followers on Friday shortly after his release. All matters in the Shiawasse Co predator case resolved! Justice marches on!' he posted.
Hansen and a film crew worked with investigators in the case.
He was meant to present video evidence of the three men, which included a state corrections officer, who were charged with trying to meet underage girls for sex, the Associated Press reported.
Hansen and his team had provided an edited video, but a defendant wanted all of the footage in case there is any exculpatory information, AP reported.
His lawyer says he missed the court hearing over bad timing and confusion over a subpoena.
'He wasn't intending to not appear or to be somebody that was trying to circumvent the process. It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances that resulted in a failure to appear,' Hansen's lawyer Clint Perryman told AP.
Hansen is most well known for his three year stint as the host of the popular NBC reality TV show in which he would set up unsuspecting sexual predators and confronted them on camera
Hansen, who hosts a YouTube show and a podcast, has a home in Michigan but primarily lives in New York, Perryman said.
He is most well known for his three year stint as the host of the popular NBC reality tv show in which he would set up unsuspecting sexual predators and confronted them on camera.
The 61-year-old turned himself in on Friday and was released later that day.
He has 14 days to turn over film to the defense in the case.
He updated his Instagram followers on Friday shortly after his release.
'All matters in the Shiawasse Co predator case resolved! Justice marches on!' his post said.