Judge dismisses charges in alleged campus vigilante 'Catch a Predator' sting targeting Army soldier
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A judge has dismissed kidnapping and conspiracy charges filed against five Massachusetts college students accused of luring a man to their campus in a “Catch a Predator”-style scheme using a dating app. 

A Worcester District Court judge dismissed the charges against Kelsey Brainard, Isabella Trudeau, Joaquin Smith, Kevin Carroll and Easton Randall on Tuesday. The decision came after lawyers for the teenage Assumption University students claimed prosecutors lacked probable cause and filed motions to dismiss last month. 

Information regarding the status of a sixth student, charged as a juvenile, was not immediately available. 

La Maison Francaise on the campus of Assumption University, where a 22-year-old soldier was allegedly lured via Tinder and attacked by students on Oct. 1.

La Maison Francaise on the campus of Assumption University, where a 22-year-old soldier was allegedly lured via Tinder and attacked by students on Oct. 1. (Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Following the attack, Randall told officers the group was inspired by the “catch a predator” trend on TikTok and recruited students through their dormitory chat by claiming a “predator” was coming to the school, according to the police report. 

The Tinder conversation between the group and the victim shows the woman telling him she is 17, about to be 18, with the man telling her “that’s fine, you’re in college,” according to Todd. Brainard contacted authorities after the attack, alleging the man was a sexual predator, which police found to be false. 

The Assumption University Police Department “fulfilled its duty as an accredited law enforcement agency by filing charges describing the facts of the incident and the elements of a crime under Massachusetts law,” a university spokesperson said. “The district attorney accepted and prosecuted those charges. All of the charges in the case, including those that remain in place, are within the purview of the judicial system to resolve.”

The department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Carroll is still charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and Brainard is facing a witness intimidation charge. 

An attorney representing Carroll did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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