A 28-year-old Wayland man has been arrested by the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force on charges of child pornography.
Matthew Bennett, 28, is being charged with child sexually abusive activity, child sexually abusive material possession, using computers to commit a crime, and being a habitual offender.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children initiated the investigation by forwarding a tip to the State Police Fifth District Computer Crimes Unit. Authorities then discovered Bennett was a sex offender and had child sexual abusive material.
State Police Detective Torey Johns, who works for the state’s Computer Crimes Unit, said Bennett appears to be a voyeristic offender, someone who gets girls to send inappropriate photos to him, then blackmails them into sending more.
The State Police Computer Crimes Unit personnel encourage parents to talk to their children about using the internet safely. Anyone with information about possible sexual exploitation of a child can report it the CyberTipLine.
