MARION COUNTY, Ind. — An Indianapolis-area volleyball coach has been criminally charged after a viral video was posted earlier this year by a popular online predator catcher group.
Levi Garrett, 34, was charged Monday in Marion County Court with one count of attempted dissemination of matter harmful to minors, but has not been arrested. The Danville resident was confronted over the summer by livestreamer JiDion outside a volleyball complex in east Indy.
JiDion, real name Jidon Adams, is a self-proclaimed “pedophile hunter” who uses the internet to catch sex offenders. In a video posted online in August, he accused Garrett of being a “child rapist” and contacted IMPD. The clip has since accumulated over 5 million views online.
Viral video
In the video, the streamer claims a local volleyball coach had been speaking inappropriately to someone on Grindr whom the coach believed was a 14-year-old boy. JiDion is shown holding photos of genitalia that were allegedly sent by the coach to the fake 14-year-old.
Indianapolis police officers can be seen in the video talking with JiDion, who explains why he thinks the man – later identified as Garrett – should be arrested for allegedly sending the inappropriate photos.
“He was telling the 14-year-old boy how he was a coach for volleyball,” the streamer tells officers. “Obviously, you can see the alarm with that, especially with him being with boys 24/7.”
A male officer is then heard responding by telling JiDion that charges against this man would not stick in Marion County due to a lack of probable cause and evidence.
“I have run into this before,” the IMPD officer said. “Our prosecutor will not touch this.”
“So what are you going to do?” JiDion asks.
“Nothing,” the IMPD officer responds.
Now, over four months after the video was posted online, official charges have been filed in the case.
Charging documents filed
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced on Tuesday that Levi Garrett has been charged with one count of attempted dissemination of matter harmful to minors – a level 6 felony.
Court documents filed in Marion Superior Court 35 detail how the prosecutor’s office was contacted on Aug. 14 by a “private online investigative organization that conducts ‘sting operations’ to identify and confront” people engaging in inappropriate chats with children.
The tip from JiDion’s team stated that Garrett had used the app Grindr to talk with a boy he believed was 14 years old, but was actually an adult from their group. Garrett’s profile, called “Hmu & find out,” stated he lived in Danville and worked in Lawrence.
After being told that the account he was chatting with was a 14-year-old boy, Garrett reportedly still sent nude photos of himself and engaged in sexual conversations. At one point, court documents state that Garrett tried to meet up with the boy in Greencastle to have sex.
In addition to the chats on Grindr, JiDion’s team also gave investigators a video of them confronting Garrett outside of an east side volleyball complex where he allegedly worked as a coach. The video was reportedly recorded on July 22 and matches the viral video description.
During the video, Garrett reportedly answered “yeah” when asked if he was Coach Garrett. He also reportedly admitted that it was his body in the photos JiDion had printed out from Grindr.
Court case
Court document details end on Aug. 25 and do not provide any further description of the investigation into Garrett. It is unclear why charges are just now being filed in the case against Garrett.
Garrett has not been arrested since the charges were filed. Online court records show that a warrant was issued on Monday but then recalled on Tuesday after he made an appearance in court.
A change of plea hearing in Garrett’s case is now scheduled for Jan. 27, 2026, in front of Judge Charnette D. Garner.
Viral video aftermath
Many people have been calling for charges to be filed against Garrett since the video was posted in early August. Many of the users in the comments were upset over how the situation was handled.
“No wonder these pred catchers beat them up instead,” one user said.
“This is legit evidence for why vigilante justice is necessary,” another said.
At the time, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office gave a statement to FOX59/CBS4 that did not directly address the video, but rather predator catcher groups in general.
“We strongly encourage individuals to report suspected incidents to law enforcement as early as possible. Early reporting not only helps ensure the safety of those at risk but also preserves critical evidence so that it meets the legal and ethical standards required to be admissible in court.
We want law enforcement to investigate potential crimes of abuse— and we want to prosecute them. The Marion County Child Advocacy Center has always worked closely with law enforcement to consult, thoroughly review, and strengthen any case brought forward. Those efforts will continue without exception.“
– MCPO Spokesperson Michael Leffler
Marion County prosecutors were not alone in these views, with other central Indiana prosecutors previously speaking out about vigilante predator groups.
‘Do not confront them.’
After seeing a rise in local predator catcher group incidents around 2021, FOX59/CBS4 reporter Jesse Wells spoke with several area prosecutors about the legality of such amateur operations.
“Do not confront these individuals,” said Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood. “You’re placing yourself in danger, and you’re placing other people in danger.”
Eastwood filed child solicitation charges in January 2021 against a man named Brian Boyer after he was reported to police by a vigilante group. Despite the filing, Eastwood admitted he had serious concerns about the way groups pose as minors to lure child predators into meeting.
“They are not trained law enforcement officers on how to obtain evidence, so all this work often goes for naught,” said Eastwood.
Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman has spoken up in the past about safety concerns related to these groups.
“All of these encounters happen in public places,” Hoffman said. “If somebody pulls a gun and opens fire, an innocent person is going to get killed. It’s just a matter of time.”
Hoffman also pointed out multiple legal and ethical issues that exist with vigilante groups. He said one specific rule prohibits prosecutors from making extrajudicial comments on cases like the videos the group posts online.
“The very second they upload that video, the case is done,” Hoffman explained.
In Madison County, Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said he will never again prosecute a case involving a vigilante group.
“It doesn’t matter to me what the motive is. It’s too dangerous,” Cummings said. “It’s far too dangerous for citizens to take the law into their own hands. Someone’s going to get hurt.”
The prosecutor’s comments came after suspect Clifford Pierce III pleaded guilty to child solicitation after conversations with Predator Catchers Muncie led to a live confrontation at a Dollar General in Alexandria.
While Cummings and other prosecutors have since abandoned prosecuting cases from vigilante groups, other counties have continued to move forward with these cases.
Predator catcher arrests in Indiana
Predator catcher groups operating in central Indiana have seen success in the past. In fact, JiDion himself was involved in a local arrest earlier this year.
Ronald Soliday, 47, was arrested in April by Marion police and charged in Grant County with child solicitation.
Court documents state that on April 12, Soliday intentionally made contact with what he believed to be a 13-year-old child. Soliday is accused of soliciting the child for sex and agreeing to meet up with the child, who turned out to be a fake account run by JiDion.
Last year, an Indianapolis man named Demetrius A. King was arrested after chatting with an account run by Predator Catchers Incorporated. King reportedly thought he was meeting up with a 13-year-old girl in Vigo County, but was instead arrested and charged with child solicitation.
Most recently, 43-year-old Shawn Dragoo of Blackford County was arrested and charged with child solicitation in August. The charge stemmed from an encounter with a self-proclaimed member of the Predator Catchers Incorporated. For more information on that case, click here.