WOODLAND PARK — News 5 Investigates featured Thomas Fellows in a report earlier this year on child predators.
Fellows is not a cop. He's simply a dad with a camera who confronts men when they show up to meet who they think is an underage teen.
His work has led to multiple arrests across the state. News 5 Investigates has learned a Woodland Park man caught in one of these sting operations over the summer will now likely be facing some time in prison.
Woodland Park police arrested Robert Allen Elliott after he showed up to meet a 13-year-old girl.
Elliott said he had no intention of having sex with a minor---he was just looking for a friendship.
Since that summer confrontation between Fellows and Elliott, we've learned Elliott has pleaded guilty to internet luring of a child---a class 4 felony.
Our investigation also uncovered this is not Elliott's first run-in with the law.
"You're here to meet a 13-year-old girl," Fellows said as he confronted Elliott. "Let's stop bull*****."
"Yeh," Elliott said.
"You know you were meeting a 13-year-old girl," Fellows said. "You've already been arrested for this before, correct?"
"Yeh," Elliott said.
Over the last year, Fellows has confronted dozens of alleged predators.
He recently traded in his window washing job to expose men looking to have sex with minors after he says his son was molested.
Fellows goes on dating apps and poses as a minor. When the men ask to meet up, he shows up with a camera in-hand.
News 5 asked, "How quick after the conversation starts do these men want to meet up?"
"Sometimes 30 minutes and sometimes it's a couple of days," Fellows said in a previous News 5 interview. "Sometimes it's a conversation and then they send nude photos and we're meeting in 30 minutes. I've met several guys that quick."
News 5 followed up by asking, "How far are you willing to travel to catch these predators?"
"We've gone as far as Atlanta," he said. "Locally, I'll go to Colorado Springs, Broomfield and Denver. I'll go 100 miles from my area."
Fellows and his camera crew drove to Woodland Park back in June after chatting online with Elliott, a 42-year-old man.
"I'm not a predator," Elliott said.
Fellows asked, "Do you know what a predator is?"
"One that actually goes and tries to have sex with these people," Elliott replied.
Following the confrontation, Woodland Park police showed up and arrested Elliott on scene.
At the time of Elliott's arrest, News 5 found he had a pending case out of Colorado Springs for the exact same crime.
Court records show in 2019, Elliott was arrested and charged with internet luring of a child and attempted sex assault of a child. He's scheduled to enter a plea in that case on Nov. 22.
As for the Woodland Park bust, court records show Elliott already entered a guilty plea for internet luring of a child and he'll be sentenced for that charge on Nov. 22 as well.
News 5 will update this story following the sentencing and plea hearing.
Meanwhile, Fellows continues "busting" alleged predators on his YouTube Channel. You can watch his current and previous catches here.
Have a story idea you'd like News 5 Investigates to look into? Email us: News5Investigates@KOAA.com
