The News Room [News Archive]
Sheriff Contact: John Roach: 313-213-5162
Release Date: Monday, September 9, 2003
Sheriff credits involved parent’s tip for re-arrest
of convicted sex offender ---
Suspect had served 7 years for sex with a minor ---
28-year old picked up on parole violation, but may have repeated
Acting on a tip from a concerned parent, Wayne County Sheriff’s
deputies today arrested a 28-year old convicted sex offender who
had violated his parole and may have had sex with another minor,
according to Sheriff Warren C. Evans. This was the second time
in the past week that sheriff’s deputies arrested convicted
sexual offender who had violated the terms of his sentence.
Evans said officers from his Internet Crimes Unit and the Fugitive
Apprehension Service Team arrested Michael David Garrison, 28,
of Detroit for violating the terms of his parole. Garrison was
convicted in 1994 for 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct with a
minor. He served seven years in prison before being paroled in
2001.
Evans said the father of a 14-year old girl contacted the Sheriff’s
Internet Unit after discovering an entry in his daughter’s
diary that indicated she was having a sexual relationship with
an adult male. Some additional snooping by the girl’s mother
yielded an Internet screen name for her daughter’s boyfriend.
Subsequent investigation by Sheriff’s Deputies confirmed
Garrison as the person behind the screen name and also revealed
his criminal history.
“This is just a beautiful example of responsible parenting,
which is far more effective than what any law enforcement agency
can provide,” Evans said. “Parents need to remember
that they are their children’s first line of defense against
sexual predators and we are their last, not the other way around.”
To lure Garrison into an arrest, deputy Bill Liczbinski, while
posing as a 30-year old woman, began chatting socially with Garrison
and eventually was able to arrange a lunch meeting at 1:00 p.m.
on Friday, but Garrison did not show. Today, officers arrested
Garrison, who had claimed in his chats with Liczbinski to be
a member of the notorious Latin Counts gang, at a house in Flushing,
near Flint.
Garrison will be charged with parole violation, but could face
addition criminal sexual conduct charges.
“Our investigation into this matter is continuing,” Evans
said. “We already have determined that Mr. Garrison had child
pornography on his computer. We also will be interviewing the 14-year
old girl to see if she will confirm that she had sex with Garrison.
If that is the case, then he certainly will face additional charges.”
Second in a week
Last Wednesday evening, deputies arrested Matthew Mankoff of Ypsilanti
after he had solicited sex online from an officer he thought
was a 14-year old girl. At the time, Mankoff was on probation
for a similar conviction from four years earlier in which he
had solicited the same sheriff’s deputy. Evans said these
recent arrests highlight a disturbing fact.
“Sexual offenders rarely change their behavior if they do
not receive proper counseling because the causes of that behavior
tend to run very deep. If they are eventually released back into
the community, they may or may not repeat, but that urge is likely
to remain,” Evans said.
Sheriff to host Internet forums
Evans used the opportunity to encourage residents to attend one
of the several town hall meetings he is scheduling across Wayne
County to inform and educate parents how to protect their kids
from Internet predators.
To report suspected criminal activity involving the Internet in
Wayne County, contact the Sheriff’s Internet Crimes Unit
at 313-875-9674.
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