A prosecutor in the Bronx, New York, has resigned after being accused of trying to meet a boy whom he allegedly met online.
Thirty-year-old William C.C. Kemp-Neal “abruptly” stepped down from his position in the Bronx District Attorney’s office a few days after an internet vigilante group called Dads Against Predators (DAP) approached him about the allegations, the New York Post reported Saturday.
Bronx prosecutor abruptly resigns after getting caught allegedly trying to meet young boy by predator hunters https://t.co/e95hyZlZRd pic.twitter.com/42rQppDEtZ
— New York Post (@nypost) August 3, 2024
Several men in the group found Kemp-Neal, a 2021 Fordham Law graduate, in the parking lot of a Target in Mount Vernon on the evening of July 8.
Video footage of the encounter shows a man wearing a white t-shirt asking him if he is “Marcus.” However, Kemp-Neal tries to flee. The man in the white shirt then accuses him: “Excuse me everybody,” he yells, “this man right here came to meet a 13-year-old boy!” as the group takes off after him.
Moments later, another man appears and puts Kemp-Neal in a headlock. “Get his bitch ass, he’s trying to fuck a 13-year-old boy,” a man behind the camera claims. “No, I’m not,” Kemp-Neal replies.
Additional video footage shows the group asking Kemp-Neal more questions. He then repeats, “You misunderstood, you misunderstood.” At one point, he appears to struggle to breathe and tells the man holding onto him, “Please let me go.”
“Tell the truth then,” the man behind the camera says, to which Kemp-Neal replies, “Okay.”
According to the Post, Kemp-Neal made nearly $85,000 while working as an ADA. His job included dealing with cases such as assault, harassment, and child endangerment.
Mount Vernon police responded to the scene but no one was arrested following the confrontation. However, police have vowed to open an investigation. The Post article noted that Kemp-Neal has not been charged with a crime.
DA Darcel Clark said in a statement that “William Kemp-Neal worked here as an ADA [assistant district attorney] from June 28, 2020, until July 17, 2024. He resigned from the office.”
According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) website, online predators pose a threat to children and it is easy for individuals to misrepresent themselves or manipulate someone using the internet.
To protect children from being targeted, adults should be involved in their child’s online activities to ensure they are safe, keep the family computer in an open area for monitoring, and set age appropriate rules and boundaries to help guard the child against danger.
