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Cops 'Catfish' Suspect by Posing as Girl Named 'Sweet Cheeks'

By Daniel Taylor, Esq. on September 25, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A Washington man wanted on multiple local and state warrants successfully evaded police for weeks. But his evasive tactics turned out to be no match for a fictional blonde named "Sweet Cheeks."

After being unable to find wanted suspect Corey Butler IRL ("in real life," as the kids say on the Internet these days), police were able to locate him on social media, reports Seattle's KOMO-TV. Police decided to try their hand at "catfishing" -- impersonating a real or fictitious character online, usually to deceive another person. For their catfishing expedition, cops chose a stock "selfie" photo of a blonde woman and dubbed her "Sweet Cheeks."

How hard was it to get Butler to take the bait?

Suspect 'Looked Like a Deer in the Headlights': Police

According to a Bremerton Police Department press release, after making contact with Butler on social media, "Sweet Cheeks" quickly had herself a date. Despite it being 2 a.m., Butler agreed to meet with "Sweet Cheeks" and provided an address where she could drop by. "Sweet Cheeks" responded in kind, providing the description of the truck she would be driving.

Conveniently enough, when officers arrived at the address provided by Butler -- driving the truck "Sweet Cheeks" had described -- Butler was waiting outside, flagging down the vehicle. According to one of the officers on the scene, once the suspect realized that the truck was occupied by decidedly non-sweet members of the Bremerton Police Department, "Corey looked like a deer in the headlights as he walked towards us."

Pennsylvania Perp Catfished Earlier This Year

Butler isn't the first wanted suspect to fall victim to social media catfishing and isn't even the first to do so this year. In January, a Pennsylvania man wanted on criminal charges boasted about being able to elude capture by posting his mugshot on Facebook. A police officer saw the post and posing as an attractive woman, contacted the suspect, asking him to meet her. Less than 45 minutes after his online boast, the suspect was back in police custody.

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