Temecula Again Sees Vigilantes Target Alleged Child Predator

TEMECULA, CA ? Over the summer, a Temecula optometrist was arrested and charged by state officials as part of an investigation into allegations that he tried to meet up with a 14-year-old boy for sex.

Brandon Thomas Zoeckler, 42, was charged with one count of an attempted lewd act on a child aged 14 or 15 and one count of meeting a minor for lewd purposes ? both felonies.

Records show his case is still winding through the legal system, but Zoeckler's alleged behavior first came to the attention of law enforcement by People v. Preds, a vigilante group that snares online predators who "prey on children," according to its Facebook page.

Cody Mattingly of People v. Preds lodged a complaint with the state after he posed as a 14-year-old boy online to entrap Zoeckler, a July 1 criminal complaint against the defendant shows. During an August 2021 online communication, the unsuspecting Zoeckler uploaded nude images of himself and requested nude photos from Mattingly, who he thought was a child, according to the criminal complaint filed in San Diego County Superior Court.

During the communication, Zoeckler went on to describe, in detail, the sex acts he wanted to perform with "the boy," the complaint alleges.

The illicit conversation led to a planned rendevous. Zoeckler drove from Riverside County to a Food 4 Less store in San Diego County to meet up with the "boy" he was communicating with. When Zoeckler arrived, however, he was met by Mattingly, who went on to record the incident.

Zoeckler fled the scene, before his eventual capture.

The case is not unlike another one that unraveled last week in Temecula. In the recent incident, Southwest Sheriff Station deputies were called to Nicolas Road Park at about 4:25 p.m. Friday. The law enforcement officers were told that a man had arranged to meet a minor for sex.

Waiting at the park located at 39955 Nicolas Road were about 20 juveniles who recorded the encounter with the alleged suspect, 46-year-old William Vandenbush of Homeland.

The youths apparently set up Vandenbush, though it's unclear whether any of the juveniles were affiliated with People vs. Preds.

It's also unclear whether prosecutors will secure a conviction against Vandenbush. Records show he is scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday. He was jailed on suspicion of sending harmful material to a minor/seducing a minor, contacting a minor to commit a felony and arranging to meet a minor with lewd intent ? all felonies.

Vandenbush has no documented criminal history in Riverside County, according to court records.

The current evidence against Vandenbush, according to a sheriff's department investigation, is that he "sent nude photographs and agreed to meet a minor for sexual purposes."

Despite the recent arrests, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department condemned vigilante behavior, stating that such action can endanger the public and jeopardize the integrity of a case.

"The Riverside County Sheriff?s Office strongly discourages residents from conducting their own undercover investigations and arranging to meet with potential suspects," the agency said over the weekend.

Friday's sting "unnecessarily jeopardized the safety of everyone in the vicinity of the park," the sheriff's department said.

Instead, anyone with information related to any kind of child sexual abuse is asked to immediately contact local police.

"Law enforcement professionals investigating these types of egregious crimes have specialized training and follow specific protocols to ensure a proper investigation, evidence preservation, and public safety," the sheriff's department stated. "By following these specific protocols, the investigation is not compromised and ensures a thorough investigation is presented to their local district attorney?s office for prosecution."