Unregistered Shingletown sex offender arrested after attempting to lure Redding girl into van
REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say an out-of-compliance and unregistered sex offender from the Shingletown area was arrested after attempting to lure a juvenile girl into his van and then challenging a group of children who came to her aid to fight Friday evening, Aug. 20.
The young victim managed to flee to a nearby group of friends, where the alleged suspect, 59-year-old Donald Lee Platner, made a second attempt to contact her, leading to a roadside confrontation in the area of the 900 block Old Alturas Road near Churn Creek Road.
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City of Redding police officers were dispatched to the area at 8:17 p.m. after receiving reports of a man trying to lure a juvenile girl into his van, Redding Police Corporal Wes Townsley later said of the incident and Platner’s arrest.
Responding officers quickly located the van described in the incident and detained Platner, who was discovered to be an out-of-compliance sex registrant who had failed to recently register.
Donald Lee Platner, 59, of Shingletown, was arrested after allegedly attempting to lure a girl into his van in Redding Friday night. He was found to be an out-of-compliance sex offender who had failed to recently register. Redding PD photo
During their subsequent investigation, officers learned Platner had driven up to a juvenile girl and demanded she get in his van, according to Townsley; who said, “She refused, and fled to a nearby group of friends.”
“Platner ultimately attempted to re-contact her by driving to the group of friends where they confronted him,” Townsley described.
During a subsequent confrontation, Platner exited his van and challenged the juveniles to a fight, at which time several bystanders got involved causing Platner to leave the area.
Platner was positively identified by the juvenile victims at which time officers arrested him. He was later booked into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of attempted kidnapping, annoying or molesting a child, failure to register as a sex offender, challenging the juveniles to fight, and willful child endangerment, according to Townsley.
Online jail records indicate he remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail or bond.
Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Redding Police Department at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R054657 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.
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