By ERIC FREEDMAN
Capital News Service
LANSING – A Lowell man is sent to federal prison for 30 years for producing child pornography at his mother’s day care center.
The ex-host of a Christian radio show in Grand Rapids gets a 40-year federal prison term and a 25-to-50-year state prison term on child pornography and sexual assault charges.
A Williamston High School biology teacher is accused of possessing child pornography and using a school computer to commit a crime.
Former Grand Rapids radio host John Baylo, convicted of state and federal sexual assault and child pornography charges. Photo: Michigan Department of Corrections.
A Traverse City-area man is slated for another court appearance on child pornography charges.
They’re among a wave of recent arrests and prosecutions across Michigan, reflecting the priority that law enforcement agencies place on child pornography cases, officials say.
Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Borkovich, whose office is investigating several child porn complaints, said, “We are seeing a definite rise and spike in sexually abusive material with children.”
For example, in January, Borkovich’s office arrested Austin Johnson of Kasson Township, on charges of possessing child sexually abusive material and malicious use of a telecommunications device. Johnson has a February court date.
“It’s 110-percent-you-know-it’s-wrong, you know it’s an infant, you know it’s a 5-year-old — it’s beyond comprehension,” Borkovich said of such cases.
And Patrick Miles Jr., the U.S. attorney in Grand Rapids, said, “There’s been a huge explosion of Internet child pornography in the last 20 years. That would correlate with the growth in the Internet.” His office prosecutes federal crimes in western and northern Michigan.
“We see people who think this is a victimless crime, that they’re in the privacy of their home, that they’re not hurting anybody – but they are,” Miles said.
On a national level, Miles said “protecting the vulnerable” – including children – is among the U.S. Justice Department’s top-five priorities, along with securing the borders, national security, financial fraud and reducing violent crime. His office ranks “protecting the vulnerable” among its top three priorities.
In 2014, his office obtained about 30 convictions through its Project Safe Childhood, including the day care center case in which Travis Stiehl pleaded guilty to producing pornography of a 4-year-old boy. Project Safe Childhood also targets those who traffic children for sex.
Stiehl, now serving a 30-year term, had more than 2,000 images and videos of child pornography.
Among others convicted last year were ex-radio host John Balyo and Ronald Moser of Battle Creek who sexually assaulted and photographed a 12-year-old boy and paid the victim a couple of hundred dollars for his “modeling career,” Miles’ office said. Moser received 35 years.
Miles said heavy sentences are appropriate because they reflect the seriousness of such crimes.
And he said long federal prison terms for possessing child pornography are intended to help stop the demand for such material. Even if defendants aren’t “hands-on abusing children,” the “demand side of trading and accessing the images” means that other people are “out there fulfilling the demand.
“There is a child in those images and that child is being exploited,” he said.
Borkovich, the Leelanau County sheriff, said, “Anytime you watch it, you build a market. And when you build it – some of the videos we have to watch on the computer – it’s revulsive.”
Many cases are handled by local, state and federal agencies that collaborate through the Michigan Internet Crimes against Children Task Force. It’s part of the State Police operation combatting computer crimes.
Such coordination is essential “because Internet connectivity is worldwide. Seldom are the suspect and victim in the same county,” said task force coordinator Jay Poupard, a State Police detective-sergeant.
The Detroit and Northville Township police departments and the Wayne County prosecutor’s office recently joined the task force and are sending their forensic examiners for training.
The task force’s website, www.michiganicac.com, accepts cybertips and offers information for parents and other adults.
In the Williamston case, teacher James Preston faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing and is scheduled for arraignment Feb. 18 in Ingham County Circuit Court, according to the county prosecutor’s office.
Among other recent cases, a Macomb County judge imposed a one-year jail term on Walter Stampor, the 71-year-old former executive secretary of the Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System. He pleaded guilty to possessing sexually abusive child material downloaded from the Internet.
And Michael Downey of Kalamazoo is under federal indictment on child pornography and firearms charges. He is the president of Elite Security Services Inc. of Grand Rapids.
The indictment accuses Downey of accessing child pornography through email, a chat messenger service and live video streaming.
Additional resources for CNS editors:
Michigan Internet Crimes against Children Task Force: www.michiganicac.com/
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: www.missingkids.com/home.