GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Following the shocking arrest of a West Michigan orthodontist for allegedly possessing and distributing child pornography, patients of his practice are scrambling to figure out what to do next.
Dr. Thomas Patrick Shannon is facing eight felony charges after investigators say he was found to have solicited sexually explicit photos and videos from a minor in North Carolina through social media.
PARENTS REACT
Kathy Holwerda has been taking her three kids to Shannon Orthodontics for about 6 or 7 years.
“We've always liked the staff and the the technicians that have worked on my kids,” she told FOX 17 Monday.
“It’s an important reminder that, you know, the nicest people, the most well respected in the community aren't always the safest people."
She says there was never any red flags during their visits. She even called her two oldest children as soon as the news of Shannon's arrest broke.
“Immediately I contacted my kids to make sure that they had never felt uncomfortable, or had any red flags," she explained about that moment.
"And none of my kids said that anything had ever happened to them that made them feel uncomfortable at all.”
Nonetheless, she says his arrest was a powerful reminder to have an open dialogue with your children about unsafe people and situations, in an effort to get them comfortable with speaking to an adult if something bad were to ever happen.
SEPTEMBER 2021
Back in September 2021, the Kent County Sheriff's Detective Bureau received a tip about Shannon's online communications with a 17-year-old girl from the Fuqay Varina Police Department in North Carolina.
“We interviewed the suspect, Mr. Shannon, but at that time we just were not able to substantiate one way or the other whether a crime did in fact take place,” Kent County Undersheriff Chuck DeWitt told FOX 17 Monday afternoon.
"Initially, there wasn't even enough information to secure a search warrant."
END OF 2022
It wouldn't be until Dr. Shannon hired his own computer forensic investigator that the Sheriff's Office would seemingly get the break they needed.
“Mr. Shannon, was doing his own, if you will, attempts to try to clear himself,” Undersheriff DeWitt explained.
He apparently hired a forensic investigators to examine his iPhone and iCloud accounts in an attempt to show “there was no child porn stored on it.”
Except, the investigator allegedly found “a large amount of child porn” in his data, including photos of minors under the age of 10. Investigators also believe Shannon had at some point attempted to “make arrangements to have sex with the minors.”
He was arraigned on the eight felony counts Friday afternoon, and placed on a $200,000 bond.
WHAT IS NEXT
FOX 17 has had several viewers reach out saying they were patients or former patients of Dr. Thomas Shannon.
Multiple people have wondered what will happen to their contract with Dr. Shannon's practice.
On Monday, their office sent a letter to patients saying they would be working with other area orthodontists to transfer their patients to those offices.
The letter reads as follows:
"our care is our priority. As a follow-up to Friday’s email regarding the suspension of operations at Shannon Orthodontics, we want to ensure you experience a smooth transition to another local orthodontist. We are coordinating with several experienced and trusted orthodontic practices in the area that can welcome you into their practice and provide you with the high-quality orthodontic care you deserve.
We will be reaching out to you individually to assist in the transition process over the next few days, including what – if any – financial implications this may have on your care plan.
Please do not hesitate to call us in the meantime. We are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
We are working diligently to ensure your care plan is transitioned, that the progress you’ve made is not interrupted and that you have options to continue your care with no financial changes.
Sincerely,
The Shannon Orthodontics Team
The Kent County Sheriff’s Office says if you or someone you know may have been impacted, call detectives at (616) 632-6125 or call Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345 to report information safely and anonymously.
