Former “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen says the arrest warrant put out on him for allegedly skipping a Michigan court date was just a “miscommunication.”
Hansen was supposed to appear in a Shiawassee County courtroom Thursday in connection with footage from a sting operation he assisted authorities with, a local TV affiliate reported.
The sting had led to the October 2020 arrests of three men who allegedly sought to meet up with underage girls — an undercover operation akin to the work Hansen did as host of the popular NBC series, which ended in 2007.
Shiawassee County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Koerner told the outlet that Hansen was subpoenaed to appear in court Thursday in the case but did not.
The prosecutor said Hansen finally appeared before a judge Friday morning and now has 14 days to produce unedited footage from the sting or potentially face a contempt-of-court charge.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Hansen insisted that he was in good standing with the law.
“Defense lawyers for accused predator Michael Lott had requested video from the investigation. There was miscommunication about a hearing today on the issue. The matter is currently being resolved!” Hansen wrote.
He added Friday, “All matters in the Shiawasse Co predator case resolved! Justice marches on!”
In January 2019, Hansen was arrested in Connecticut and charged with larceny for allegedly purchasing about $13,000 in merchandise with checks that later bounced, TMZ had reported.