SHERWOOD TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – A 17-year-old boy from England was arrested about a week ago following a Michigan State Police investigation involving an alleged computer incident in which the victim was an 11-year-old in Sherwood Township.
The State Police say the 11-year-old accidentally sent an inappropriate photo to another person online who was claiming to be a 15-year-old female.
The internet application they were using was Snapchat. State Police say the suspect then tried to blackmail the child into sending more photos.
The Sherwood Township youngster then alerted their parents who in turn called the State Police.
Troopers got a court order for the suspect’s Snapchat account. The information received from that account yielded hundreds of previously unknown photos and video files.
Some of the files were of sexually abusive material involving underage children other than the original victim.
The Michigan State Police 5th District Computer Crimes Unit assisted in this case. The information and evidence indicated the suspect was located in England.
Troopers contacted the England attaché at the National Children Center for Missing and Exploited Children through the English consulate in Washington D.C..
The Department of Homeland Security assisted with transferring the evidence over to investigators in England.
Once the evidence was shared, investigators in England located the suspect and made an arrest in connection to this case.
Due to all known persons associated with this case being under the age of 18, their names will not be released at this time.
The matter remains under investigation
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