Prison inmates advertise their measurements, hobbies, earliest release dates on dating websites
THEY enjoy strolls on the beach and candlelit dinners. They’re sensitive, single and looking for love. But there’s just one problem - they’re in jail.
THEY love walks on the beach and candlelit dinners. TheyÂ’re sensitive, single and looking for love. But thereÂ’s just one problem for these lonely bachelors and bachelorettes: they wonÂ’t be released from prison for years.
Male and female inmates from all over the world, including Australia, are searching for romance online.
The websites they’re using read like e-Harmony or Tinder and the profiles are full of useful information including their measurements, hobbies, Department of Corrections identification numbers and “earliest release dates”.
But there’s a dangerous side, too. Meet-an-Inmate.com warns users it holds no responsibility for “costs” or “damages” incurred by taking a chance on love with a convicted criminal.
LONELY AND LOCKED UP
The process is simple at Meet-an-Inmate.com where lonely inmates seek “pen pals”.
Profiles are set up through the Oregon-based website’s conveners, who receive a small fee for uploading pictures and information to the web.
Potential suitors log on and scroll through categories including Lady Inmates, Newest Ladies, Male Inmates and Newest Men. The website even has a search function that allows users to search for inmates by their age.
Because prisoners have no internet access, the inmate’s mailing address is listed. The love letters are screened by the Department of Corrections.
It appears harmless enough, but there are obvious drawbacks and dangers. Meet-an-Inmate.com has a disclaimer warning participants that “appropriate safeguards should be used in communicating with any person(s) that you may meet through the service“ and “by using this service, you agree to not hold us responsible for any costs, liabilities, attorney’s fee, or damages that you may incur”.
What inmates don’t disclose on their profiles are the crimes that landed them in the slammer in the first place. But we can. Buyer beware.
‘ANXIOUSLY WAITING, I’M ALL FOR IT’
Calista Garcia touts herself as a lover of Zumba and tennis.
Listed on Meet-an-Inmate.com as an educated nonsmoker “willing to take the chance in hopes I will meet at least one good person”, Garcia seems like a real catch. She is 5’4” and in the prime of her life at just 29 years old.
What her profile doesn’t mention is that in 2011 she killed a man named James Steinmetz after getting behind the wheel of her car while intoxicated.
Ms Garcia was high on marijuana and an illegal stimulant when she crashed near Point Lobos in California. Mr Steinmetz was killed and his passenger, Leisa Weddle, was seriously injured.
During a court appearance, Ms Garcia broke down in tears and “cried uncontrollably”, local news stations reported.
Now, she hopes to put it all behind her.
“I’m very outgoing, love to laugh and love everyday to the fullest cause we are never guaranteed tomorrow,” Mr Garcia says in her profile.
‘MY PRESENT SITUATION DOESN’T REFLECT WHO I AM’
Vinson Carter-Vincent is a self-professed Christian who enjoys reading, exercising and studying business. He considers himself a “strong, intelligent, caring man with so much to offer”.
“One of the greatest joys in life is establishing wonderful relationships with down to earth people who are not concerned with what they can get, but rather what they can become in the process of getting to know people who will appreciate them and their friendship,” he says online.
“If (your) heart is open and looking for someone to compliment your life, then the search is over.”
So, what’s not to like? Well, dig a little deeper and Vinson hasn’t always been so caring.
According to court documents, Vinson was convicted in 2005 of the attempted murders of nine-year-old Jared Hester and 12-year-old Francisco Gutierrez who were riding their bikes in south Seattle when they were fired on from a moving vehicle.
He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Shannon Thomas, who was shot in the chest and lost 40 per cent of his blood and one of his lungs.
‘OUTGOING FUN KIND OF GIRL WHO LOVES THE BEACH’
Jennifer Richmond, who lists her age as 22, “loves the beach and outdoors” as well as “shopping and watching movies”. She seems like a real down-to-earth girl.
“I decided too join this site too find a few friends too talk too or maybe meet someone on here that could eventually turn into more than a friend when my time here is done (sic),” she writes on her profile.
“I’m selective when choosing my friends & not naive so when writing please be respectful and I am deff not shy so once we meet and I feel comfortable this could be fun (sic).”
Ms Richmond could be released from Gadsden Correctional Facility in Quincy, Florida by December next year, but she is unlikely to return to her old life.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Ms Richmond and her friends ran an upscale prostitution ring and pocketed as much as $500,000 a year.
She brought in so much cash, the Sentinel reported, that she had to hide it in the air vents at their downtown Orlando apartment complex.
‘I AM DEFINITELY A WORK IN PROGRESS’
Samuel McKeever won’t be out of Two Rivers Correctional Institution until 2021. Until then, admirers can form an orderly queue outside the gates where the musician-turned-Christian is breaking hearts from hehind bars.
“I’m 31 years old, 6’4”, with an athletic build. I’m also a growing Christian trying to learn from my past and get closer to God; although, I am definitely a work in progress,” he said.
“I am a musician and play several instruments. I’ve also performed R & B and hip-hop music on my acoustic guitar.”
His crime is not immediately clear but you can judge for yourself his musical abilities.
‘I CAN LET YOU KNOW MY NICKNAME IF YOU LIKE’
Adrienne Kitcheyan will be out next year. In the meantime, why not get to know her through a series of letters?
The 27-year-old from Arizona listed an ad with Meet-an-Inmate.com declaring herself an “exotic, lonely prison babe” seeking companionship.
“I’m fun, down to earth and super sweet. I’m seeking a pen pal friend who is respectful, open minded and non-judgmental. I’ll be in prison until August of next year. I’d love to meet someone,” she said.
“Let’s start a conversation and see what we learn.”
What a potential suitor might learn is that Kitcheyan was arrested alongside Vincent Winston of Phoenix in 2011 on warrants for sexual assault, assault and kidnapping. It probably would’ve come up in conversation, anyway.
AUSTRALIA’S MOST DANGEROUS AND ‘FRISKY’ LOOKING FOR LOVE
Meanwhile, here on home soil, Snowtown serial killer Robert Wagner, a man who is serving 10 life sentences for the gruesome murders of 12 people between 1992 and 1999, was spotted trying to meet women online last year.
The Sunday Mail reported that Wagner’s profile briefly appeared on the Prison Pen Pals website where he stated he was “keen to meet women who are up for exchanging interesting material with each other”.
It was removed shortly after at the request of the Department of Correctional Services.
Wagner is not the only criminal looking for love online.
In a creepy post on the same website, an Australian man named Mark Wells described himself as a “wild bloke who needs taming by a very, very naughty girl with lots and lots of patience”. He warns he will be “frisky” after years behind bars.
Wells’ crimes are not listed. He is serving time at Margoneet Correctional Centre in Victoria.
Sydney criminal Kieran Loveridge reportedly met a woman while imprisoned for fatally-punching Thomas Kelly at Kings Cross in 2012. But it wasn’t through an online dating website and it didn’t work out well for him.
The 21-year-old was moved from the two-a-cell Mid North Coast Correctional Centre after it emerged he was having an alleged sexual relationship with female guard Jody Marson.
For his trouble, he was moved to the Goulburn Supermax where he shares four walls with Ivan Milat.
Perhaps he could ask for some pointers on writing to women.
