Walter Edward Babst

He earned both degrees in education with a concentration in political science.

When Babst arrived at the sting house, he parked his car on the side of the street opposite it. Although it was not shown in the episode, the Predator Raw segment, or his uncut footage, Walter waited in his car for a few minutes. He then approached the Sting House and took his wedding ring off.

Babst entered the sting house and was confronted by Chris Hansen . He immediately questioned if he was being arrested after shaking Hansen's hand. He would then request for Hansen to "arrest [him], take [him] to jail, and execute [him]." Babst misrepresented himself, saying he was called "John Hunter." When asked what his plan was, Babst responded that he was "getting [his] ass kicked." He asserted that he was aware it was a sting and urged Chris to arrest him and put him to death. Babst then insisted he hadn't brought anything and wouldn't do anything with the decoy. After Chris asked why he came then, Babst said that he was a "sick son of a bitch." He asserted that it was all talk and had never done it before. He insisted that aside from his wife, he had never engaged in sexual activity. Then, Babst inquired once more about his arrest. He kept getting out of the chair and pacing the room. Babst then begged Chris to let him go.

When Chris asked what the decoy's age said on her profile, Babst replied, "Her profile said I'm in trouble." Then he claimed that he had no idea that he was pursuing a minor and that when people fake their age, citing where he listed his age at thirty-nine in his profile, it was all "fantasy." He acknowledged that he would be furious if a grown man attempted to see one of his children. He subsequently confirmed that he taught high school. Babst continued to nervously pace around the room. He maintained that he did not transmit it and that it was on his profile. Babst covered his face with his shirt and left the sting house.

The Riverside police told Babst to place his hands behind his back as he departed the sting house. Babst turned around and approached them by moving backward. When questioned by police after being taken into custody, Babst resisted making any statements, as he just decided to remain silent and not want to incriminate himself any further. He did not even request a lawyer.

He was charged with two felony counts of attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age and one felony count of attempted oral copulation with a child under 18 years of age. His bail was set at $25,000.

Babst returned to the classroom two days after bailing out of jail and taught for several more days. During this time, a female student claimed that Babst would sit on his desk and put his head down. His arrest had not been made known to the school. The school was made aware of Babst's arrest by the police and his attorney. Later, he was suspended without pay. According to school officials, Babst had not received any complaints before arrest. He later retired from his position in February 2006. Babst began working again as a manager for a transportation company. At the same time, his case was still pending in 2007.

On February 2, 2007, Babst pleaded guilty to one felony count of attempted lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age and one felony count of possession of obscene matter depicting a minor in sexual conduct.

Babst later became an aerospace engineer, helping to design airplanes. This is one of the few instances in which a predator ended up with a better career than the one they were forced to leave after being featured on the show and arrested. He currently works two jobs, as he is still employed by the transportation company.

The former student described Babst as very arrogant and constantly thinking he was smarter than everyone. Babst taught math and science and worked for two different departments in the high school. Babst's arrogance extended to him randomly calling on people and expecting everyone to know the answers to his questions.

Babst is one of many people in Riverside who nervously scrape the chair against the floor before leaving. Babst's appearance at the time of the sting has been compared to Ned Flanders due to his mustache, hair, and glasses. Babst likes making models of World War II airplanes, tanks, and vehicles. He builds German ones exclusively and is rather good at it. He has won first place in a few competitions .