IONIA, Mich. — The Ionia County Sheriff's Office says a 28-year-old is accused of sending sexually explicit images from a minor and then lying to investigators about it.
The sheriff's office began investigating Zachary Johnston, of Saranac, on Jan. 30.
Investigators checked out the minor's cell phone and found on multiple occasions between Jan. 2 and Jan. 27 of 2023, the two had been exchanging sexual images and videos of themselves, as well as pornography on the internet.
On Feb. 8, detectives talked to Johnston, and claim he had lied to detectives about multiple facts in the case. He was arrested that same day.
Thursday, Johnston was arraigned on multiple charges including:
- Child Sexually Abusive Activity – Aggravated
- Distributing Sexually Explicit Visual or Verbal Matter to Children
- Using a Computer to Commit a Crime (2 counts)
- Lying to a Peace Officer (2 counts)
The Ionia County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate this case.
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