It is 2020 and Zach Sweers is still a douchebag with a punchable face. Also, harassment is still illegal

So Zach Sweers decided to call me out of the blue using a fake number. Apparently, he does not seem to understand calling someone to annoy them is against the law.

Sweers has already been warned not to continue harassing people but the douchebag with the punchable face doesn't seem to listen.

Word to the wise, Zach, take the prosecutor's advice and piss off. You've already been sued twice and I've already beaten a state senator in court.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/06/prosecutor-warning-to-video-vigilante-still-stands-from-2016.html

Prosecutor: Warning to video vigilante still stands from 2016
Updated Jun 12, 2019; Posted Jun 12, 2019
By John Tunison | jtunison@mlive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- In 2016, a then 23-year-old Zach Sweers was advised by authorities to stop doing “sting” operations on men who responded to his online persona as an underage teen girl.

He did, at least judging by his social media pages at the time. Two men he caught on video had sued him.

Now three years later, he’s back to posting videos akin to the popular “To Catch A Predator” show.

The actions of viral video vigilantes put the public in danger, according to law enforcement.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker learned two week ago that Sweers had begun posting new videos to his Anxiety War web site.

In some, they show him confronting men who came to see him, thinking he was the teen girl they chatted with online. In one, he picks up a man’s dropped car keys and wrestles with the man over them.

Becker on Wednesday, June 12 joined the state Attorney General’s office and state police in warning against such video vigilantism.

“It’s dangerous to himself and it’s dangerous to the public,” Becker said.

In 2016 it was Becker’s then-boss, retired Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth, who issued a plea for Sweers to stop and told him that prosecutors would no longer look into cases he investigated.

Becker said Forsyth’s message still applies today.

“We’re not going to work with him. We want nothing to do with him,” Becker said.

He said Sweers’ motive for the videos, in his opinion, is self-serving.

Sweers appears to have started posting new videos in early April. The introduction to the first video starts with the words “Anxiety War 2.0” and “I’m Back.”

Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth wrote a May 4 letter to Zach Sweers

He responded to an email for comment Wednesday, but only to say that he planned to issue a video response to the Attorney General’s warning.

“There is so much more to all of this...," he wrote.

In 2016, prosecutors did charge seven men with accosting a child for immoral purposes based on initial evidence-gathering by Sweers. Those videos already had been made when police learned of them, and they soon asked him to stop.

Two of the men he captured on video ended up suing him and Sweers settled those cases. No details about the settlement were released.

Michigan Attorney General and State police issue warnings to vigilante scumbag Zach Sweers to stop his repulsive behavior

Douchebag with a very punchable face is on the defensive after warned by the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

Sweers has already been sued and hopefully soon, he'll find himself in more hot water.

https://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,4534,7-359-92297_47203-499598--,00.html

Law Enforcement to Vigilantes: Leave Investigations to Law Enforcement
Contact: Kelly Rossman-McKinney (517) 335-7666
Agency: Attorney General

MEDIA CONTACT:
AG:  Kelly Rossman-McKinney
(o) 517-335-7666 (c) 517-512-9342
Dan Olsen
(o) 517-335-7666 (c) 517-290-780

MSP: D/Lt. Liz Rich, MSP Cyber Section
(989) 370-7989


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Law Enforcement to Vigilantes: Leave Investigations to Law Enforcement

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan State Police (MSP) are sending a strong message to residents who are targeting suspected child sexual predators: vigilante activity will not be tolerated.

A vigilante’s recent behavior in the Grand Rapids area has escalated and demonstrated reckless conduct, including luring suspected online predators to a public place, recording the sometimes violent interactions, then posting the videos on social media, according to the Michigan State Police. Authorities have told the vigilante, and others like him, they aren’t able to prosecute any more cases based on information gleaned by this method.

“It is reckless and dangerous for residents to take matters of law enforcement into their own hands. Not only does it put them directly in harm’s way, it actually hinders our ability to keep our kids safe and protect them from dangerous individuals,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “In fact, well-meaning vigilantes not only endanger themselves, but their actions may result in important evidence being suppressed, impeding our ability to properly and effectively do our job.

“Our office vigorously prosecutes crimes against children with our partners at the Michigan State Police, which has resulted in keeping hundreds of child predators out of our communities. I strongly urge the public to leave this work to career professionals.”

Nessel added that her office has charged more than 20 individuals who have targeted Michigan’s kids since January, including a child predator ring in Coldwater. The Office of Michigan Attorney General has also successfully convicted more than 250 child predators since 2011.

The MSP Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force has highly trained, certified law enforcement investigators assigned across the state of Michigan. They work under strict guidelines put in place by the ICAC Task Force to crack down on child predators.

“Our priority is always public safety,” said D/F/Lt. James Ellis, commander of the MSP Cyber Section. “Taking matters into your own hands is dangerous and extremely harmful to a successful prosecution. Digital evidence collection, for example, has strict rules that must be followed for a case to legally move forward. Vigilantes also open themselves up to civil litigation and criminal charges when acting outside of what laws allow.”


https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Police-want-511258251.html

Police want Michigan Youtuber to stop his "vigilante behavior"
By WILX News 10 | Posted: Thu 5:07 PM, Jun 13, 2019

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WILX) -- Confronting and stopping sexual predators may seem like a good thing to do, and that's just what one West Michigan man is doing.

But according to our affiliate station in Grand Rapids, Michigan State Police want this man to stop his vigilante activity.

"Got your keys. I will break your hand," Zack Sweer, Michigan YouTuber said in one of his videos.

It's incidents like this one that make law enforcement nervous.

The video was posted weeks ago, showing a confrontation with an alleged predator at a local Target that turned physical.

In another incident, the man had a gun.

"I know you have a gun, I do too," Sweer said.

Sweers and his videos have made the news before.

When he was first reported on in 2016, his videos led to seven convictions. He was told to stop then, but clearly he still hasn't gotten the message.

The police asked him why he continued to do this and he said, "Well, I think there is a fear that they won't be prosecuted," Sweer said.

The latest video was posted yesterday and Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel has comment on the situation.

"It actually hinders our ability to keep our kids safe and protect them from dangerous individuals,in fact well-meaning vigilantes not only endanger themselves, but their actions may result in important evidence being suppressed," Nessel said.

Sweers still doesn't seem to believe that his actions are harmful.

"I think the police don't like competition," Sweers said.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:e_Q4RllYCUkJ:https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/lawsuits-against-anxiety-war-vigilante-settled/1085209414+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Lawsuits against 'Anxiety War' vigilante settled
Zach Sweers sued by 2 men after posting video confrontations online
By:
Rachel VanGilder
Posted: Aug 24, 2016 04:33 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 24, 2016 04:33 PM EDT

24 Hour News 8 web staff - GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- The two civil lawsuits against the West Michigan man who pretended to be a teen girl online to entice sexual predators have been settled.

The terms of the settlements are protected by a confidentiality agreement, however, a statement from Zach Sweers' attorney said that "no money was paid by any Defendant(s) to settle the claims."

Sweers was sued by Zachary Snoeyink and Alastaire Kolk, who featured in videos Sweers posted online in which he claimed they were sexual predators. They claimed defamation and said Sweers invaded their privacy. Sweers started a GoFundMe account to raise money to hire a lawyer.

"Sweers ... vigorously defended the claims and (was) prepared to file motions to dismiss the lawsuit," the statement from Sweer's attorney Joel Baar's statement. "The parties agree that society would be better served if the unused funds generated by Sweers' Go Fund Me Page were donated to a charity that benefits victims of sexual abuse. As such, a donation will be made to the Children's Assessment Center and the YWCA."

Attorney Ross Plont, who represents Snoeyink and Kolk, said on Wednesday that he could not comment on the agreements other than to say the matters were settled.

Sweers pretended to be a teen girl online with the goal of catching predators' attention. He would arrange meetings with men at which he claimed they expected to have sex with a teen girl. He would then confront them on camera and post the videos on his YouTube channel, Anxiety War.

Snoeyink was among seven men who were charged criminally after Sweers turned over the videos and records of his online conversations to Grand Rapids police. Snoeyink's defense attorney is trying to have the email transcripts that Sweers gave police thrown out as evidence, saying they may have been edited and aren't reliable.

Kolk was not charged.

Authorities have told Sweers to stop trying to lure online predators because it is dangerous and said they won't prosecute any more cases based on information he gives them.

All of the video confrontations have been removed from Sweers' YouTube channel.

Vigilante Scumbag Roundup 6/29/16: GoFundMe scams and more vigis getting away with murder

I've been busy doing other things so I haven't had much time to devote to this blog lately, so here's a roundup of vigilante scumbags:

Zach Sweers running GoFundMe scam:

MLive.com was more than willing to help promote Zach Sweers's crappy GoFundMe campaign to raise money for lawyers after one of his victims sued him. "'Despite my strong defenses, I'm greatly disadvantaged,' Sweers wrote on a GoFundMe page. 'I've been representing myself in the few weeks this lawsuit has been going on so far and I have realized that Michigan law in civil court procedure is way over my head.'... His GoFundMe page shows nearly $6,700 in donations, with a $25,000 goal." Interestingly, he has doubled his campaign request once he earned $25,000. Gee, you'd think $25k would be enough for a "frivolous lawsuit." It seems to me Zach discovered the path to easy money, and there are plenty of suckers willing to throw money at this loser. He should be in jail!

UK: No Charges for teens who beat and killed a man they mistook for a "paedophile."

Predator Panic is just as bad 'across the pond, and so are the vigilante scumbags. In the UK Sun piece, "THEY GOT AWAY WITH MURDER Fury of woman whose dad was beaten to death by paedophile vigilante gang after teens walk free," the following was reported:

"Lorry driver Kelly was lured to his death by a then 15-year-old girl, who said she was an adult, after meeting on an internet chat room.

Witnesses saw all four teens repeatedly punching and kicking Darren before 20-year-old Chris Carol, who was convicted of murdering Kelly last year, stabbed the dad six times.

The remaining three teens, two boys aged 17 and the girl, now 16, were cleared of murder and manslaughter after a six-week trial at Chelmsford crown court. Carol was jailed for a minimum of 21 years....

A fourth teenager, aged 13, who was seen attacking the 42-year-old, never faced charges...

“It is an immense sense of injustice only having one in five behind bars. The girl who organised it has got away scot-free, which leaves me with a very bitter taste in the mouth," said Zoe Kelly, the daughter of the man beaten to death.

And, since they aren't guilty by court rule, there are no picture of these thugs. You'd think since they didn't kill a real sex offender, they would have gotten in trouble!

Video "vigilante" (Zack Sweers) is the REAL predator

Zach Sweers is the douchenugget on the left. 

The person targeted by that douchebag Curtis Hart should have tried the same tactic. Perverted Justice was once accused of pulling similar bait-an-switch style tactics, as was Sheriff Grady Judd.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/05/video_vigilante_targeting_sexu.html

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A video vigilante who has targeted alleged sexual predators is "the real predator" for stalking men and soliciting sexual encounters by pretending to be a teenage girl, an attorney said.

The videographer, Zach Sweers, and his company, Anxiety War LLC, are being sued in Kent County Circuit Court by Zachary Snoeyink.

Snoeyink is one of seven men charged with accosting for immoral purposes after Sweers posed as a teen in sexually charged chats and then videotaped his confrontations with the subjects that were posted online.

Snoeyink's lawsuit, filed Tuesday, May 10, alleges libel, slander, invasion of privacy for publicity that places plaintiff in a false light, and invasion of privacy for appropriation of the plaintiff's name and image, attorney Ross Plont wrote.

Plont also said that Sweers recently incorporated his website to limit his personal liability.

"The Defendants have taken it upon themselves to be Judge, Jury, and Executioner in the eyes of public opinion to smear Plaintiff's name in a negative light across the Internet and local news media outlets all for Mr. Sweers' own Internet fame and/or financial gain," Plont wrote.

He said that Sweers, through inaction, has rejected his client's demand that he cease and desist and remove videos from his website and others, including Youtube.

In the criminal case, Snoeyink, 29, earlier waived his right to a probable-cause hearing in Grand Rapids District Court but is now seeking a remand from Kent County Circuit Court to have the hearing.

His attorney says Sweers distorted the evidence against him through editing.

Sweers "intentionally misled law enforcement professionals, including police officers, detectives and prosecuting attorneys, with heavily edited evidence, including written and video evidence, all while possessing exculpatory evidence of (Sweers') accusations against (Snoyeink) for the sole purpose of allowing Mr. Sweers to obtain Internet fame and financial gain."

Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth, in a letter to Sweers last week, said his office would no longer authorize criminal charges based on Sweers' so-called "Youtube encounters" with suspected predators.

Forsyth said he took the action to protect Sweers and the community because of the danger involved in confronting alleged predators in public. He's also concerned because a companion of Sweers openly carried a firearm during a recent encounter.

It raises the stakes for danger, and provides a criminal defendant ammunition to claim statements were not voluntary.

Sweers, 23, plays a role not unlike that of Chris Hansen, on MSNBC's "To Catch a Predator." But Hansen worked with police and a film crew in a staged location.

"When a law enforcement agency engages in such an operation, they have vetted the location, they have multiple back-up officers to deal with any contingencies that might arise, and they use their training to anticipate what those contingencies might be," Forsyth wrote.

He said it is fortunate that no one – Sweers, the alleged predators, or a bystander – has been injured so far in what can be "highly volatile" encounters.

In Snoeyink's case, Sweers approached him in a Taco Bell parking lot in Grand Rapids.

The lawsuit said Sweers responded to a Craigslist ad posted by Snoeyink seeking adult companionship.

Sweers provided a photo of a woman and tried to arrange a sexual encounter "BEFORE ever claiming that the woman that he was pretending to be was a minor," Plont wrote in the lawsuit.

"Defendant Sweers has a modus operandi of luring lonely men in with pictures of beautiful women who appear to be adults, engaging them in explicit conversation, then – and only then – claiming to be a minor who is just a matter of months from reaching the legal age of consent," Plont said.

"Defendant Sweers is the real predator here because he is the one soliciting the sexual conversation and encounters."

Plont said his client explained that he would never do the things Sweers alleged that he planned to do with a minor. He now faces ridicule in public and has to disguise himself when he goes out.

The 20-minute video featuring Snoeyink has gotten nearly 702,000 hits.

"... Plaintiff is sickened by the public allegations made about him that he would have sexual relations with a child," his attorney wrote.

Sweers says on Facebook: "I have mentioned before that I DO NOT want to become a police officer.

"I'm simply a man who finds the need to bust predators since the supply of predators is way too high and the demand to stop them is too low right now. Therefore, there must be greater demand – greater resistance. This is what the public wants, this is what the public needs and this is what the public deserves."