Arizona corrections officer arrested, accused of trying to lure girl he believed was 16

PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. - An Arizona Department of Corrections officer has been arrested after investigators say he tried to lure someone he believed was a 16-year-old girl for sex. Instead, authorities say he had been communicating with a YouTuber known for confronting suspected sexual predators.

What we know:

Pinal County court documents show Aaron Slaughter is charged with one count of aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation. Slaughter believed he was arranging to meet a 16-year-old girl he had been talking to on social media.

Instead, a California YouTuber who calls himself "The Big Bad Wolf," an online predator catcher, tells FOX 10 he was the one who confronted Slaughter in Florence. He said he had told Slaughter that he was going to be in the area while visiting a family member.

A video posted to YouTube shows what the creator says was his confrontation with Slaughter following weeks of online messages.

Local perspective:

Court records identify Slaughter as a correctional officer with the Arizona Department of Corrections.

What they're saying:

In a statement to FOX 10, a spokesperson for the department said, "ADCRR can confirm that former ASPC-Eyman correctional officer Aaron Slaughter was arrested by the Florence Police Department and is no longer an ADCRR employee."

Dig deeper:

The YouTuber alleges Slaughter used a computer while at work to communicate with him.

"He was literally using the computer inside of the prison to access his Snapchat account," Big Bad Wolf said. "He was sending nasty videos and pictures of himself from inside."

Florence police say they were contacted by a YouTuber, who claimed to have cellphone evidence showing Slaughter trying to meet the girl. Court documents say police reviewed weeks of conversations that included naked photos and discussions about meeting. 

The Arrest:

Days after the confrontation, Slaughter was arrested on July 15. According to the documents, Slaughter admitted to police, post Miranda Rights being read, to his conversations with the girl but had no intention of meeting in person.

The backstory:

The YouTuber says he has spent years confronting suspected child predators and that his investigations have helped lead to more than 200 convictions. He says suspects contact his decoy's social media accounts, are told the "girl" is underage, and from there he begins gathering evidence.

"The response I get from law enforcement has been great, and especially out there," Big Bad Wolf said. " By the way that they handled the whole situation by gathering the evidence, made sure that they had everything from me to make sure everything can go forward in court."

Why It Matters:

The YouTuber said his goal is to help prevent children from becoming victims.

"Knowing that each time I get one of these guys, it feels like that's one kid that I kept from being traumatized for life," Big Bad Wolf said. "We're saving a child from actually being harmed, and that right there is what keeps me going."