After being accused of seeking sexually explicit images and films from a juvenile in North Carolina and having child pornography on digital storage, a Michigan orthodontist is now facing criminal charges.
Thomas Shannon, 41, was taken into custody on Thursday for a number of offenses, including possessing child pornography and having aggravated possession of child sexually explicit material.
As of 2019, he was allegedly in contact with youngsters to obtain pornographic images and videos.
After being notified by the Fuquay-Varina Police Department in North Carolina about Shannon’s alleged contacts with a 17-year-old girl, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan first became aware of the accusations against Shannon in late 2021.
Shannon allegedly made an offer to pay for the girl’s graphic pictures and videos. He allegedly asked for further pictures as well, especially ones from when she was in the eighth or ninth grade.
Shannon was interviewed by a detective from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office at his place of business, Shannon Orthodontics. The officer asked him whether he could recall corresponding with the child on Snapchat about two years ago and whether he ever offered to pay for nude pictures.
He allegedly said, “If that happened, obviously it’s all there and I have to fess up to it,” as stated in a probable cause document. “Some girls are out there soliciting, but I didn’t know anything more about that.”
In an effort to demonstrate that he didn’t have any child pornography, Shannon allegedly hired a forensic investigator to look through his iPhone and iCloud accounts. However, the researcher discovered “a significant amount of child pornography” in his data.
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Photos of youngsters under 10 and sexually explicit images of prepubescent and adolescent children were purportedly among the material.
Shannon may have previously tried to arrange for sex with minors, according to investigators.
Detectives from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office allegedly found more pictures of nude boys and girls, including infants and prepubescent kids, while searching Shannon’s electronic devices and social media accounts under the authority of search warrants.
The crime is still being investigated, according to the sheriff’s office.
Shannon was charged with eight offenses on Friday:
Aggravated Possession of Child Sexually Abusive Material – 2 counts
Possession of sexually explicit materials—two counts
Two charges of using computers to commit a crime (10–20 year felony).
2 charges of Using Computers to Commit a Crime, a 4–10 year felony
A court put his bond at $200,000.
Frank Stanley, Shannon’s lawyer, released a comment on the accusations.
“My client is presumed innocent at the outset of the legal procedure. He has given officials complete cooperation throughout their inquiry. We eagerly anticipate his court date so that these accusations can be answered,” Stanley stated.
»Orthodontist is accused of asking minors for naked pictures and having child pornography«