Samuel Dennis Zoellner

When the two of them broke up, the girl, feeling violated, went to the police. Sam was subsequently arrested, being charged and convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Person Aged 13-15, a third-degree felony. He was sentenced to three years of probation and sex offender registration, although after two years, he violated the conditions of his probation when he was caught by online detectives using a dating app, which was something he was restricted from doing. Following this, he was sentenced to serve eighteen months in Jackson State Prison. Although Sam wasn't physically harmed in prison, other men who knew what he had done would regularly threaten and harrass him on the grounds he had committed a sex crime. After being released from prison, Sam relocated to St.

While Sam was handcuffed in one of the police trailers, Chris Hansen entered to interview Sam about the situation. Sam initially told Chris he didn't want to speak to him, but Chris convinced him otherwise, telling Sam he could prevent someone else from making the same mistake. Sam took a second to think before talking to Chris, telling him that he told the decoy he changed his mind and just wanted to hang out in a public place such as McDonald's, although he admitted he thought about having sex with her at first. When asked why he changed his mind, Sam told Chris that he "didn't want to be that person," admitting that his previous trouble in Michigan was what made him reconsider. Sam initially refused to tell Chris why he was in trouble, but, when asked to put it into context, Sam told Chris the exact circumstances arrounded his arrest and conviction, including his probation violation and subsequent jail sentence.

When Chris explained the nature of the investigation to send a cautionary message to other predators and the children of potential victims, Sam did his best to help Chris by explaining what was going through his mind. He described how it was difficult for him to not be selfish, admitting he had been selfish that evening and was only thinking about himself, not the potential victim. When questioned about why he drove so far, Sam dismissed this by claiming that since where he lived was typically half an hour to an hour away from everything else the journey meant nothing to him. Chris tried to refute this by acknowledging that there were so many different apps people can use to hook up and date, which led to a humorous exchange where Sam sarcastically asked Chris when the last time he went on a date was, telling Chris that dating in the age of technology is not all it was cracked up to be.

Although Sam once again denied wanting to have sex with the girl, Sam acknowldged he was in the wrong and there was no justification for a sex offender meeting up with a fifteen-year-old girl. Although he admitted he belonged in prison, Sam made it clear he wasn't excited to go back, with Chris and Sam acknowledging that Sam could be facing a very stiff sentence as a reoffender, with one of the detectives apparnetly telling Sam he faced five years in prison. Sam's message for other online sex predators was that if they met someone underage online they should stop talking to and block them, and if they have poor impulse control, they should just delete the app. Sam then admitted he had therapy, but he also acknowledged that the therapy didn't work well since he was arrested and sitting in a police trailer.

Sam apologised for what he did and acknowledged his family would not be happy. Before Chris could officially end the interview and leave, however, Sam, praising Chris for his predator investigation work, showed genuine interest and surprise that there was no consent form he had to sign to be on television, given that he had committed a felony. Sam once again told other men like him to get help and therapy, even though he personally felt like it didn't work. When asked what would prevent him from offending a third time, Sam said he needed to have more self control and more want to succeed in life, avoiding having sex with people he shouldn't have sex with, otherwise he would just spend the rest of his life making the same mistake and getting busted for it. Sam then claimed that the only other underage girl he had sex with was the one in Michigan. When asked if he felt he was treated fairly, Sam admitted his lawyer helped him out a lot, although he felt guilty at having affected the girl's life in a negative way, and he deserved to be prosecuted. Although Sam admitted he didn't think it was wrong at the time due to it being in a small town where it happened quite commonly, he thought it was wrong in retrospect, although he attributed what he did to his young age and selfishness. He then admitted to his probation violation. Sam once again denied possessing child pornography or previously attempting to meet a minor online, but he admitted that he would also find it hard to believe if he was in Chris' position. When asked one last time, Sam professed he would not reoffend and apologised for actions.

On his way to the sting house, Sam called the decoy and spoke to her on the phone as he was driving. As the decoy lured Sam using the flashlight on her phone, Sam turned his car around after missing the building and promptly made his way toward's the sting house. The decoy ducked into the sting house and the police moved in, surrounding Sam's vehicle and removing him from it. Although Sam was significantly outnumbered, he still tried to resist arrest. Once he was successfully handcuffed and stood up, Sam outrageously tried to run away. Still having not learned his lesson, Sam continued to resist being arrested, with the officers continuing to aggressively yell at him to stop. Due to his actions, Sam sustained some minor bloody cuts and bruises to his face.

Sam was checked out by EMTs who found no serious injuries. He was charged with seven felonies: three counts of Transmitting Harmful Material to a Minor, one count of Travelling to Meet a Minor to Commit an Unlawful Sexual Offence, one count of Attempted Lewd Battery on a Child, one count of Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device, and one count of Resisting Officers.

On August 8th, 2023, Sam was convicted of five felony charges; Travelling to Meet a Minor to Commit an Unlawful Sexual Offence, Lewd of Lascivious Molestation of a Victim 12-15 Years Old, and three counts of Transmitting Harmful Material to a Minor. He has been designated a Sexual Predator by the state of Florida and is scheduled to be released on January 9th, 2033.