GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Thomas Shannon — the orthodontist turned in for possession of child pornography by an investigator he hired to prove otherwise—was bound over to circuit court Wednesday morning after multiple probable cause conference extensions.
Shannon was arrested for what his investigator found on top of further images and videos found by Kent County Deputies on his devices.
The original tip was made by police in North Carolina who told Kent County the orthodontist was accused of soliciting sexually explicit material from a 17 year-old there.
During the investigation, Shannon told police "probably, yes," when asked if he remembered talking to a young girl about 2 years ago via Snapchat.
Detectives asked if he'd requested sexually explicit pictures and offered money to the minor, to which Shannon is quoted as saying, “if it happened, obviously it’s all there and I have to fess up to it. I didn't know anything more about that, but some girls are on there soliciting."
Shannon faces 8 different child porn-related charges, including possession of child sexually abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime.
At this time, no trial date has been set by the Kent County Circuit Court.
If you believe you may have been a victim call detectives at (616) 632-6125 or call Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345 to report information safely and anonymously.
