KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Only on FOX 4, we told you a former a Jackson County Correctional Officer was charged with raping a woman he met on a popular dating site.
Prosecutors charged 30-year-old Bradley Everhart with 2nd degree rape, after police say he met his victim on Plenty of Fish.
Police say he invited the woman to his home and that’s where they say he raped her.
Abuse counselors said it’s not the first time something like this has happened. They warn that love isn’t the only thing metro women are finding on popular dating apps.
In a world where relationships and even love can form without ever stepping outside; Tinder, Bumble and Plenty of Fish just to name a few. Dating apps are becoming the wave and what many use to meet people of the opposite sex.
“I think it can be a wonderful medium for people to meet each other. I know a lot of people who have met their spouses that way. But it’s also a very attractive medium for predators.”
Kristin Brumm is the Executive Vice President of Safe Home, a metro shelter for battered women. She said the shelter has recently seen women coming in for help, who have met their abuser through popular dating apps. She warns it’s an easy way for predators to lure a victim in.
“They build up what feels like an intimate relationship with someone they really don’t know all that well,” Brumm said.
Eerily similar to the metro’s most recently dating app case, where police say 30 year old Bradley Everhart created a profile on Plenty of Fish and began talking with a woman over the phone. She told police she talked with him enough, that she felt comfortable to go to his home, where investigators say he raped her.
“They can get to know someone, and present a facade to someone through an online app like that.”
Brumm advises to always put your online date match’s name through an online court record to see if he or she has a criminal record. Never give out your personal information. Always meet your date in public place and follow your instinct.
“It’s easy to overlook those instincts. Please have those turned on when you first meet someone. What is your reaction to their picture? What is your reaction to their voice? Your gut will tell you generally.”