Editor’s note: This story contains sexually graphic and disturbing subject matter. Read at your discretion.
A 15-year-old Gillette boy who kept receiving sexual advances from an 18-year-old male used a vigilante Snapchat account to expose the potential pedophile, court documents say.
The vigilante Snapchat account reportedly featured a fictitious 11-year-old boy.
Corbin T. Behnke, who turns 19 this year but who was 18 at the time of the alleged crimes, is facing 22 charges in Campbell County District Court, ranging from sexual exploitation of minors to stalking to bestiality.
An evidentiary affidavit sent to the felony-level court last week says Behnke was stalking a 15-year-old boy at his high school in Gillette.
Behnke would reportedly linger around the younger teen’s classes and stare at him, send him repeated sexual advances and requests for lewd photos on Snapchat, add the boy with new Snapchat accounts when the boy would block him, and ask him for a ride home repeatedly despite the boy’s refusals.
Behnke is scheduled for a March 20 arraignment.
The Vigilante Account
On the weekend of Dec. 2, 2023, the boy and another teen his age built a fake Snapchat account displaying a photo of a random 11-year-old boy they found on Google, the affidavit says.
Behnke contacted the account.
The decoy — “Zach Smith” — informed Behnke that he was 11. Despite knowing the boy’s age, Behnke allegedly started asking the decoy for photos of his genitalia anyway.
The affidavit says Behnke also sent a video of himself masturbating.
“Can we do it?” asked Behnke, reportedly, after a discussion about male-on-male sex.
“I’m 11,” answered the decoy, which the two 15-year-olds were operating.
“Please,” Behnke allegedly asked.
“No,” the decoy answered.
When Behnke kept asking, the teens reportedly made the decoy ask, “Doesn’t that make u sick of urself? Knowing that u going for kids?”
“IDK,” said Behnke, according to the affidavit.
“Ur a pig,” the decoy answered.
“You are hot lol,” Behnke allegedly replied.
The School Resource Officer
The teens showed the decoy account to their school counselor on Dec. 5; she then alerted the school resource officer, who in turn contacted Campbell County Sheriff’s Deputy Heather Monson.
Monson went to Behnke’s home that evening at about 5 p.m. Behnke asked her to conduct her interview away from his family, so they went outside, the affidavit says.
Monson told the young man he was not going to be arrested at that time, she just needed to speak with him about a conversation he had on Snapchat with an 11-year-old male.
She asked if she could have his cellphone so she could preserve any evidence, and he said yes and handed his cellphone to her, the affidavit says.
Monson wrote in the affidavit that she told Behnke multiple times that he could have her get a search warrant instead and could have her stop searching his phone, but he didn’t do that.
He reportedly said he didn’t remember anything and didn’t use Snapchat much.
Monson voiced doubt about this, since Snapchat was open when Behnke handed the phone to her, the affidavit relates.
“I made a mistake,” he reportedly said to her, adding that he was being stupid, was lonely, and it wouldn’t happen again.
In The Truck
The day was windy. Monson invited Behnke into her vehicle for a quieter chat, all while she kept going through his phone, reportedly.
There he allegedly admitted he started asking boys for pictures and sexual favors because he was curious.
He said he was interested in males aged 14-15, or maybe 13-14, the affidavit says.
Monson pressed him on this point, saying she didn’t think he was being truthful.
He allegedly said he was interested in boys ages 10-11 as well, because he preferred less-developed bodies and he figured it would be more comfortable to have sex with someone younger.
The Hunt
Behnke and Monson drove to the sheriff’s office in separate vehicles, where investigators continued to probe Behnke’s phone, the affidavit says.
Monson asked about the 15-year-old boy whom Behnke had been reportedly stalking.
Behnke said the pair used to ride the same bus, but they stopped being friends after Behnke asked for a sleepover and “for one picture of it,” the affidavit says.
The document says Monson found another text thread between Behnke and a 16-year-old boy, in which Behnke asked the boy for a lewd photo and sexual favors.
Behnke told Monson the two “joke like that,” reportedly.
“May it be noted,” wrote Monson later, “I interviewed (the 16-year-old) at the sheriff’s office and he stated they do not joke like that, and he no longer speaks with (Behnke) because of it.”
Babysitting
Monson kept scrolling. She found photos of boys between the ages of 3 and 7 with Behnke, the affidavit says.
Behnke said he babysits children sometimes but denied ever touching those children inappropriately.
Monson grilled him about his reported attraction to younger teens and preteens.
He said he needed to switch to 18 or older “probably soon,” says the affidavit.
The Goat And The Dog
Monson also asked Behnke if he’d ever done anything sexual with an animal.
About three months prior, he allegedly told her that he’d showed his penis to a goat in the barn to see if it was interested, but it did not seem interested.
He then said he showed his penis to his dog and the dog licked his penis, the affidavit says. After that the dog didn’t seem interested in more, so he didn’t do more with the dog, reportedly.
The affidavit says investigators later found a video of this oral incident involving the dog, in Behnke’s phone.
A Year Of This
Monson interviewed the 15-year-old alleged stalking victim.
He said Behnke had been asking him weird questions and pushing for sexual favors for about a year. The teen made the fake snapchat account to demonstrate this “ongoing issue” of Behnke soliciting children, the teen added.
He reportedly grew tearful while describing all the advances Behnke had made that year.
A 14-year-old girl also spoke with Monson, saying Behnke sent her a photo of his penis and asked her to “send nudes,” and she blocked him.
Monson found a video in the girl’s snapchat account, allegedly, of Behnke masturbating.
‘Uh, I’m 12!!’
Monson talked with other minors she found via witnesses or Behnke’s phone.
One boy, age 14, had been contacted by Behnke via Snapchat, reportedly. Monson interviewed him by phone since he lives in another city.
The teen said Behnke asked for a lewd photo of him, so he blocked Behnke. The boy was 13 at the time, which Behnke allegedly knew.
Behnke reportedly also sent Snapchat messages to a 12-year-old boy on Nov. 21, 2023. He asked if the boy was straight, says the affidavit.
The boy said he wasn’t sure yet.
Behnke asked the boy to send “dic pics,” the affidavit says.
“Uh, I’m 12!!” answered the boy, according to the affidavit.
Behnke’s response was to send pictures of himself in his underwear, allegedly.
More Boys
Behnke is reported to have had a more reciprocal conversation with a 16-year-old male Nov. 26, when the pair shared a lewd exchange.
The affidavit says Behnke also exchanged 75 messages with a boy who looked about 12 to Monson, but who said he was about 14 and lived in the Philippines.
The boy sent lewd photographs and one solo sex video, allegedly.
The affidavit says Behnke had a sexual chat exchange with a 16-year-old boy in late September as well.
The Tally
Behnke faces 22 charges in all, including felonies and misdemeanors, in Campbell County District Court. These are:
- Fifteen counts of attempted or solicited sexual exploitation of children, each punishable by between five and 12 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
- One count of stalking, punishable by up to one year in jail and $750 in fines.
- One count of attempting to engage in illicit sexual relations, punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
- Two counts of promoting or attempting to promote obscenity, punishable by up to one year in jail and $6,000 in fines.
- Two counts of sexual exploitation of children, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
- One count of bestiality, punishable by up to one year in jail and $1,000 in fines.
The case is ongoing.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
