Citizen activist and anti-prostitution campaigner Brian Bates has come up with a novel way to bust those engaged in illicit activity on the streets and back alleys of Oklahoma city — video drone witnesses.
Bates has gained national media attention as the “Video Vigilante” for his relentless pursuit and documentation of johns attempting to solicit prostitutes and engage in sex acts with prostitutes.
Using his personal film equipment, Bates films johns and then shames them with a confrontational bust publishing the encounters on his YouTube channel.
But Bate’s latest method of humiliating men who pay for sex is to take to the skies with one of the millions of civilian drones that are increasingly common. The drone has already landed Banes with one bust.
Recounting the story to Oklahoma’s News on Six, Bates said “there was a vehicle that had stopped and picked up a female that I knew to be a prostitute, ” said Bates.
“I was fully prepared to just use my camcorder, but it appeared she was being followed by her pimp.” Bates decided to gather evidence of the alleged crime using his drone for safety reasons.
“It got footage, that otherwise, I don’t think I would’ve gotten. They were parked in an area where they could’ve seen anyone walking up on them.”
Bates claims he recorded Amanda Zollicoffer and Douglas Blansett having sex. Bates turned the video in to authorities. Zollicoffer and Blansett have been charged with committing lewd acts.
The area of law governing the use of drones is a hot topic, with the federal government scrambling to put in place regulations governing the use of drones. The feds are also and pushing ahead with a national drone registry that could be in place before Christmas.
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