GRANDVILLE, Mich. — The trial for a Grandville orthodontist charged with child pornography is on hold while evidence submitted in his case is appealed. 41-year-old Thomas Shannon last appeared in court in October.
That's when his attorney argued that Shannon's right to due process was violated when evidence was obtained "improperly" by Kent County Sheriff's investigators. The investigators received images from Shannon's cloud from a private investigator who was hired by Shannon to only look at his cell phone.
His attorney is arguing that Shannon did not consent to having the cloud searched as well.
Shannon is charged with eight felony counts, including possession of child sexually abusive material and using computers to commit a crime.
The founder of "Protect Young Eyes" is an expert in online child abuse prevention. He said he believes now more than ever, parents need to watch for the signs.
"Wherever our children spend time, there are always going to be adults also spending time. That's this the way it's always been, wherever the kids are, is always where the bad actors also are," said Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes.
McKenna believes that in this day and age it's easier for adults to pose as minors.
"Anybody can be a 12-year-old these days, anybody can sound like a 12-year-old, right? There's voice technology that you can fake all kinds of voices, that I can say things into an app, and it can repeat it back in different tone of voice to make me sound like a child like the ability to fabricate. That sort of interaction has never been more possible, more realistic than it is today," said McKenna.
Detectives allege Shannon was communicating with minors online for sexually explicit photos and videos dating back to 2019.
"Almost none of the digital spaces that are marketed to our children, that our kids want to use, were designed with them in mind. Do your homework and know where you're dropping them," said McKenna.
The original tip against Shannon was reported to police in North Carolina and they contacted Kent County investigators, who said he solicited sexually explicit material from a 17-year-old there. Detectives allege the orthodontist offered to pay the teen $150 for nude photos and asked for photos and videos from when she was in 8th and 9th grade.
Operations at Shannon Orthodontics were suspended in 2023 after Shannon was arrested.
McKenna said parents need to be transparent with their children about online dangers and download apps before their children use them.
"Moms and dads need to download it create a child profile and use it for seven straight days before they do interact with it like your child would. That's our seven day rule. These are ways that parents can understand the digital spaces that their children are maybe going to have access to long before we drop our kids inside of them," said McKenna.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.