WORCESTER, Mass. — Five college students from Assumption University in Worcester were arraigned Thursday on charges related to a bizarre scheme to lure an active-duty soldier to campus via a dating app and then allegedly kidnap him as part of a “Catch a Predator” trend circulating on TikTok.
The five students, all teenagers, face charges of conspiracy and kidnapping. They each pleaded not guilty during their court appearance, and they are scheduled to return to Worcester District Court for a pre-trial conference on March 28. The defendants—Kelsy Brainard, 18; Easton Randall, 19; Kevin Carroll, 18; Isabella Trudeau, 18; and Joaquin Smith, 18—stood silently in court, showing no visible emotion. They communicated with the judge solely through their attorneys. A sixth individual involved in the case is being arraigned separately in juvenile court.
According to police, Brainard used her Tinder account to lure the 22-year-old soldier to the private, Roman Catholic university campus. She faces an additional charge of witness intimidation. One of the male students involved in the plot is also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The soldier, who was in Worcester to attend his grandmother’s funeral in October, told authorities he was seeking companionship during a difficult time and turned to Tinder for a distraction. He was contacted by a woman who claimed to be 18 and invited him to meet in person.
