A Florida man was arrested last week after walking into a Steak & Shake and loudly accusing an employee of being a pedophile. John Kessler, 34, entered the restaurant in Orlando on March 21, armed with photographic evidence of the worker’s alleged crimes.
Kessler was taken into custody shortly after his expose, not for the accusation itself, but for violating a little-known state statute against “excessive snitching.”
Kessler, a well-known pedophile hunter, told police he had been tracking the employee, 22-year-old Brandon Miles, for weeks online. He presented authorities with a folder of screenshots from chats, insisting they proved Miles was sexually exploiting minors. The arrest came after Kessler calmly explained to customers that there was a dangerous pedophile in the building
Local law enforcement clarified the situation in a press statement. “Mr. Kessler wasn’t arrested for lying or even for being wrong,” said Officer Daniel Rivera of the Orlando Police Department.
“He crossed the line into snitching territory, and Florida Statute 847.0139 says you can’t just go around publicly ratting people out like that without a permit.”
The statute, passed in 2023 as part of a broader “personal responsibility” legislative package, requires anyone exposing alleged criminals in public to register as an official informant. Violators face up to six months in jail. Critics of the law argue it’s a clumsy attempt to curb vigilante justice, while supporters say it protects the innocent from baseless accusations.
Kessler’s arrest has sparked a firestorm online, with some hailing him as a hero and others calling him a reckless loudmouth. Miles, the accused employee, has not been charged with any crime and declined to comment, though his manager confirmed he’s still working the cashier pending an internal review.
“I just wanted to protect kids,” Kessler told reporters from the county jail, where he’s being held on a $500 bond. “If that makes me a snitch, then I guess I’m a snitch.”
The incident comes amid a wave of amateur sleuths taking justice into their own hands across the country. Last month, a similar case in Ohio saw a man fined for spray-painting “thief” on his neighbor’s garage, also citing insufficient evidence and lack of proper snitch credentials. Legal experts say these laws reflect a growing tension between public safety and personal vendettas.
Steak & Shake corporate issued a brief statement condemning the disruption. “We’re a family-friendly establishment,” said spokesperson Lisa Grayson. “If you’ve got a problem with one of our team members, take it up with HR, not the lunch rush.”
Kessler’s court date is set for April 10, and his supporters have already launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover his legal fees.
Meanwhile, the folder of screenshots remains in police custody, though officials say it’s unlikely to lead to charges against Miles. For now, Kessler’s crusade has landed him behind bars, proving that in Florida, the only thing worse than a pedophile might just be a snitch.
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