GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man accused of spending months planning a trip to West Michigan to sexually assault children has pleaded not guilty.
Jonathan Ledoux is facing charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and travel in interstate commerce with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
He was arrested Friday at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport after allegedly making arrangements to come to West Michigan to sexually assault children.
Ledoux became the target of a Homeland Security Investigations probe after allegedly sending a message to an undercover agent in an “incest chatroom” in November.
Court documents say the agent implied he was a single mother with two young daughters, leading to multiple conversations containing graphic descriptions of sexually assaulting children.
Ledoux allegedly told the agent he would like to pull the non-existent girls from school and “teach them that if they told anyone that they’d be in serious trouble.”
Conversations later moved to KIK, where investigators are accusing Ledoux of planning a trip to Grand Rapids to visit the woman’s children.
Court documents also allege he sent two videos to the agent expressing concerns he could be in the middle of being set up in “some sort of lure to catch a predator.” He said he recorded the videos in case he was immediately arrested upon arriving in Grand Rapids, according to a federal indictment.
Investigators say he expressed second thoughts of flying to West Michigan, but eventually decided to do it. He was arrested upon getting off his flight.
A court order issued Wednesday will keep Ledoux in jail throughout his trial.
His next court date is scheduled for May 28.
