Eric Thornton

> "Shoot! Well it was a load of glory!"
>
>

>  - Thornton bragging about ejaculating on camera.
>
>

**Eric Michael Thornton** is a suspected predator involved in the Ft. Myers, Florida edition of To Catch A Predator.

## Biography

Eric Thorton, then 26 years old, initiated a chat with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl named "Liz," who was actually a Perverted Justice decoy. From the start, Thorton expressed his attraction to the decoy's photos, referring to them as "hot." He suggested video chatting and reassured the decoy that he would not behave inappropriately. After a few days, Thorton revealed his desire to show "something personal" under his pants and proposed showering together. He offered to drive over four hours to meet her and requested permission to spend the night. Thorton then sent a picture of his penis and suggested engaging in sexual activity all night. On the following day, he inquired if she wanted to witness him orgasming on video chat.

Thorton suggested that they could engage in sexual activities throughout the night and reiterated his desire to display his genitals, which he referred to as his "shlong". Afterwards, Thorton proceeded to turn on his webcam and masturbate in front of the decoy, saying he was going to "shoot white stuff". When the decoy mentioned that it was too dark to see, Thorton responded by saying that she had missed a "good thing". Thorton then acknowledged that he was "talking all perverted" and called himself "stupid". The two continued to chat for a while longer, arranged a meeting, and then ended the conversation.

### Confrontation with Chris Hansen

Thorton made the decision to drive four hours to meet with the decoy. When Thorton arrived at the sting house, the decoy, who was an 18-year-old actress pretending to be a child, greeted him from another room. Thorton presented the numerous alcoholic drinks and condoms he had brought with him. While he ate a cookie, Chris Hansen appeared and questioned him. Thorton claimed he was there to simply "hang out" and thought it was a "good idea" to visit. He admitted to meeting 10-15 underage girls he had met online in person and changed his story several times until finally admitting he had a problem. Thorton claimed that he had gone to counseling a lot of times but stopped after five months. He also admitted he planned to spend the night but wouldn't be "too graphic" until they met. When asked what should happen, Thorton said he should be allowed to go home and "learn" from his mistake. Hansen then revealed his identity, making the cameras to come out. Thorton did not run but instead warned other potential child sex predators not to talk to underage children. He expressed feeling "regretful" and "horrible". Thorton left the sting house and was arrested by the police.

## After the sting

After his arrest, Thorton was charged with a felony count of attempted lewd or lascivious battery with a victim 12-15 years old. On May 8, 2007, Thorton pleaded guilty to the felony charge he was up against. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison, three years of probation, and was required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Thorton's probation finished in 2011, and in November of 2019, was seen in a video made by 60 Minutes Australia in the background of a trailer park entirely populated by pedophiles and sex offenders. However, he has recently moved out.

## Quotes

* *"I knooooooooww"*
* *"Did you bring condoms?" "Mhmm, sure did"*
* *"Uhhhhh...it's against the law?"*

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/flyer.jsf?personId=54471
2. ↑ http://www.perverted-justice.com/?con=balin79
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://dairystatedegenerates.blogspot.com/2020/12/to-catch-predator-update-fort-myers.html