ANDERSON, Ind. — A retired Anderson University professor is facing child solicitation and drug charges after a confrontation with a predator-catching group.

Scott Borders, 63, is charged with child solicitation, possession of methamphetamine and manufacturing/dealing methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Borders began messaging who he thought was a 15-year-old boy on the gay dating app Grindr. However, that boy was actually a member of Predator Catchers Indianapolis just posing as the teenage boy.

Borders messaged the decoy profile about sexual acts and sent nude photos of himself, according to investigators.

Court records reveal Borders wanted to meet up with the boy and they agreed to do so at an Anderson gas station. When he arrived for the meet-up, several members of the Predator Catchers group were waiting for him and confronted him.

Borders fled the area and the Anderson Police Department was called and took over the investigation, according to court documents.

“The Anderson Police Department took that information and in an effort to do further investigating and to corroborate that information they obtained a search warrant,” Madison County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna said.

Police served that warrant at Borders’ home in an attempt to seize all his electronic devices. According to court records, during that search police also found 15 grams of methamphetamine along with glass pipes, scales and a ledger containing names and dollar amounts.

While Predator Catchers helped lead to the arrest, Anderson officials made it clear that they did their own investigation.

“We are never going to pick up a case from a Predator Catchers group like this and just run with it,” Hanna said.

Predator catcher groups have drawn criticism from prosecutors across the state and that includes in Madison County. Hanna said their biggest fear is the ambush confrontations the group is known for.

“When law enforcement is not involved in that, that is a potentially deadly situation and that’s what we are most concerned with,” Hanna said.

Hanna said there are also issues with evidence and what is admissible in court. Hanna said the group, like every citizen, has the right to notify police if they have evidence of a crime. 

“If that information is brought to law enforcement and then there is an investigation by law enforcement, I have no problem with filing these cases,” Hanna explained.

In this case, Predator Catchers helped lead to an arrest but he said vigilantism is generally not helpful or safe. 

“These types of investigations are just quite simply always better to be in the hands of law enforcement,” Hanna said.

The investigation into Borders’ electronic devices is still ongoing. He is scheduled to be back in court in June.

FOX59/CBS4 reached out to Predator Catchers for comment, but did not hear back.