CASPER — A 41-year-old Casper man convicted of trying to solicit sex from teen girls has been caught again.
While awaiting sentencing on that conviction, he was caught by the vigilante pedophile-hunting group Colorado Ped Patrol allegedly propositioning whom he thought were 13-year-old girls.
Natrona County District Court records show George Robert Nelson waived his preliminary examination in Casper Circuit Court on Thursday on two charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children.
Nelson was sentenced to prison July 16 in Natrona County District Court for sexual exploitation of children involving texts he sent to a real 15-year-old girl.
Court records show that on June 6 while Nelson was out on bond awaiting sentencing on that charge, Colorado Ped Patrol owner Thomas Fellows confronted Nelson at a Casper church about his alleged propositioning of whom he believed to be 13-year-old girls for sexual activity.
In reality, the girl was 34-year-old Ped Patrol member posing as a teen named “Ashley.”
The Colorado Ped Patrol owner told a Casper Police detective that his employees were instructed never to reach out to an offender first and that they were never to engage in sexual conversation.
He said Nelson also had sent sexually explicit photographs of his genitalsto a “girl” on his team and had “talked about kidnapping her until she was 18 years old.”
Fellows gave the detective a binder of conversations, photographs of the profiles used, and a video of his confrontation at the Casper church with Nelson.
In an interview, Nelson told the investigator that he had been talking with a female he believed to be 13 years old.
“Nelson admitted he began talking sexually with her,” the affidavit states. “Nelson admitted he had talked about meeting the girl and kidnapping her until she was 18, but stated he never intended on following through with it.”
Nelson said he had been talking to the (girl) for about a year. Over time he admitted to asking her if she wanted to “cuddle” and then began “talking dirty,” the affidavit states.
Feeling ‘Guilty’
“Nelson stated that he talked sexually with children because he never got the attention he needed from his exes,” the affidavit states. “Nelson stated that after he was done talking sexually with underage girls, he felt guilty because he knew he was doing something wrong, and he should not be doing that.”
Nelson told the investigator that he felt like he was “battling demons.”
The arrest affidavit shows that the Colorado Ped Patrol folder included Nelson’s conversation with another Ped Patrol “decoy” who was a 45-year-old man pretending to be a 13-year-old girl, “Ellie R,” on dating apps.
The Ped Patrol employee stated that Nelson first contacted him as the 13-year-old girl on Feb. 5, 2024, on MeetMe. Within an hour, the conversation turned sexual, the affidavit states.
Nelson asked the supposed 13-year-old if she would try “cuddling” and quickly the conversation turned sexual. Nelson talked about seeing the girl with “less clothes on” and then asking for sex, the affidavit states.
The affidavit states that Nelson then on Feb. 7, 2024, sent the 13-year-old a photo of his penis.
The Casper police detective noted that Nelson believed he was talking to multiple 13-year-old females, was requesting nude photos from them, and had stated he would kidnap the girl until she was 18 years old.
More Prison Time Possible
Both charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children carry prison terms of five to 12 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
During the investigation of his latest charges, Nelson was asked his conviction, and he told the detective he was hoping to be on probation.
He said there were bond restrictions that “stated he was not allowed to be on dating websites.”
Nelson received a nine-to-12-year sentence for the sexual exploitation charge involving the 15-year-old stemming from his actions in June 2024.
The Colorado Ped Patrol also was involved in the bust of a 58-year-old Hudson, Wyoming, man sentenced in federal court on June 24 to 120 months in prison for similar conduct.
Fellows told the Casper detective that his group has been in business for four years and assisted in more than 100 convictions, the affidavit states.
The Colorado Ped Patrol website states its mission is to “expose and bring to justice those who seek to harm our children. Through meticulous online investigations and real-time confrontations, we aim to raise awareness and deter predatory behavior.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
