Observer messaging teenager about sex act was speaking with vigilantes, according to CA officials
Charges have been brought against an optometrist following an undercover sting by a civilian vigilante group, according to California authorities.
According to a criminal complaint from the California Department of Justice, Brandon Thomas Zoeckler was charged on July 1 with meeting a kid for indecent purposes and attempting to commit a lewd act with a child who was 14 or 15 years old.
According to data from the California State Board of Optometry, Zoeckler has held a license to practice optometry in the state since 2012. He has worked in Beaumont and Temecula.
According to Ken Garcia, deputy chief of the Department of Consumer Affairs Division of Investigation, “California has some of the highest professional licensing standards in the nation and it is unacceptable for licensed individuals to violate their responsibility of professional conduct.” The California Department of Justice released a news release on July 15.
According to court documents, Zoeckler started conversing online in August 2021 with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old kid.
Nevertheless, the complaint reveals that Zoeckler was interacting with a representative of People vs. Predators rather than a teenage male. The group is well-known for using undercover operations to target child pedophiles.
According to the lawsuit, throughout their conversation, Zoeckler gave the boy explicit pictures of himself and asked that he do the same. According to the lawsuit, Zoeckler reportedly “described, in detail, sexual acts he wanted to perform with the minor.”
In a reply to the “teenager,” Zoeckler responded, “… but remember this is highly illegal lol,” according to court documents. T
The lawsuit then reveals that in July 2022, Zoeckler drove from Riverside County to a grocery store in San Diego County in order to meet with the “boy” for sex activities. According to court documents, when Zoeckler went to meet the “boy,” one of the vigilante group members took a video of him.
According to state investigators, Zoeckler recognized “he was texting with an adult and fled.”
According to the complaint, the vigilante member started an inquiry into Zoeckler’s purported acts in 2022 by filing a complaint against him with the California State Board of Optometry. Officials added that after the investigation, Zoeckler was taken into custody.
Attorney General Rob Bonta stated in the statement, “Let me be absolutely clear: Using the internet to target children for sex is a reprehensible and despicable crime.” (Source)