Royal Oak officer faces 20 child
porn charges
A Royal Oak
police officer has been charged with 20 counts involving the alleged possession
and distribution of child pornography. The charges made by Michigan Attorney
General Bill Schuette reportedly result from an investigation by the Internet
Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The
officer's employment in Royal Oak ended in January.
Michael
Smith, 41, of Holly, was arraigned Thursday in 52-2 District Court before Judge
Kelley Kostin on 20 charges, including:
Fifteen counts of possession of child
sexually abusive materials, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison;
Two counts of distribution of child sexually
abusive materials, a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; and
Three counts of using a computer to commit a
crime, a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison based on the
underlying felonies listed above.
No plea was
entered, since the charges are felonies, according to a court spokeswoman. A
pre-exam conference has been set for 8:30 a.m. May 18, also before Judge
Kostin.
Bail was set
at $50,000 cash, surety or 10 percent, the spokeswoman said. As of Friday
afternoon, the court had no record as to whether bail had been posted.
According to
Royal Oak Police Chief Corey O'Donohue, Smith's employment ended in January.
“I was
notified of the investigation in January by the task force, which requested my
assistance ... and I was present” when the computer was searched at Smith's
house, O'Donohue said. The chief said that he told Smith during the search that
he was suspended and the department was moving to terminate him.
“Before we
left the house, he had resigned,” O'Donohue said.
The charges
were filed after images reportedly were found on Smith's personal home computer
during an Internet task force investigation, according to a press release.
From
September 2011 through January 2012, according to the press release, it is
alleged that Smith downloaded and possessed child pornography on his personal
home computer. Smith allegedly distributed some pornographic images to other
users through a public Internet file-sharing network, the press release said.
Noting that
the investigation was an independent one, O'Donohue said that “all the alleged
activity was at his home. Nothing was in Royal Oak.” He added that to his
knowledge, Smith did not have interaction with children.
The images
were discovered through an online investigation by the Flint Internet Crimes
Against Children Task Force, which uses sophisticated technology to identify
alleged purveyors of child pornography in Michigan. The Flint-area ICAC Task
Force members include: Flint Police Department, Grand Blanc Township Police
Department, Michigan State Police, U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case
involved the Department of Attorney General, the Michigan State Police and
members of the Flint area ICAC task force. The Michigan Internet Crimes Against
Children Task Force is part of a nationwide partnership of law enforcement
agencies with the mission of protecting children online and holding offenders
accountable.