HUBBARD, Ohio - Monday, 21 News told you about the arrest of Jonathan Bellow in Hubbard, who is facing charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and importuning. It turns out that the arrest wouldn't be possible without the help of some citizen groups dedicated to catching sexual predators.

Bellow thought he was meeting up with a 14-year-old girl on Sunday, but instead, he was caught by two private groups, Predator Catchers PA and Veterans against Predators.

"We knocked on the door like we forgot our key to the building and when he let us in, we asked him about the girl and we had him admit to everything," James Rodkey with Veterans against Predators said.

The citizen groups NY Creeps Spotlight and Indiana Predator Hunters caught Bellow allegedly soliciting a minor for sex online. They then enlisted the help of Predator Catchers PA and Veterans against Predators to set up a sting operation at his apartment building and confronted him, recording an interview to which he confessed and was live-streamed on Facebook.

"Once we catch them and they know we have them dead to rights, what we do is, we interview them, get them to admit, we let them know we are not interested in having law enforcement talk to them at all, our main goal is to get them to admit what they did so they can get some kind of treatment and then of course when they do admit what they did, law enforcement then has to get involved," Rodkey said.

A codeword is said during the interview, which triggers someone watching the live stream to call local police. In this case, it was Hubbard police. When they arrived, they interviewed Bellow.

According to the police report, when officers asked John what was going on, he said, "I promise I won't do it
again." When asked why police were there, he said, "Well, I was caught talking to a 14-year-old." When police asked him what he was talking to the female about, he said, "Maybe hooking up." When he told police he knew the girl was 14 and he was 44, he said, "I don't want to get in trouble."

Bellow was later arrested, and Hubbard police commended the citizen groups' work.

"I was abused myself as a child, and there was no one there to protect me, so I am doing what I can," Rodkey said. "This is all about protecting our children."

The confession video was handed over to police and 21 News legal expert Matt Mangino says it will hold up in court as evidence.

"As long as it wasn't coerced in any way. If an individual wants to voluntarily talk to a private citizen on camera and admit to criminal conduct, they can do that, and as I said, because these are private citizens, they don't have to tell an accused about his right to remain silent or his right to an attorney, in fact, those rights don't exist when you are dealing with a private citizen," Mangino said. "They only exist if you are dealing with someone who is working under the color of state law."

Bellow was arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He'll remain in the Trumbull County Jail without bond.

Rodkey encourages people to support their groups.

"Watch, and we will be catching them for you," Rodkey said. "Share our videos and make the public aware."

You can see the Bellow video on the Facebook page of Veterans Against Predators and Predator Catchers PA.