The News Room [News Archive]

Sheriff Contact: John Roach: 313-224-0615
Release Date: Monday, December 22, 2003

Dearborn Heights father of two arrested on child pornography charges --- Case originated in Maryland Sheriff’s Office after suspect sent images to undercover officer

A 43-year old Dearborn Heights father of two young children was arrested today by Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputies for collecting and distributing child pornography, Sheriff Warren Evans announced today.

Craig James Burwitz turned himself in to the Sheriff’s Office this morning after investigators discovered that he had on his computer hard drive and CDs, hundreds of sexually-explicit images and movies involving young children. A warrant for Burwitz’s arrest had been signed late Friday.

“Our officers have been working on this case for several weeks,” Evans said. “Although a generous description of some of these images would be ‘erotica,’ even our Internet officers, who see a lot of this type of thing, were shocked at the more hardcore images.”

It is not believed that either of his children, ages seven and nine, were among those in the photos. Nor is it believed that Mr. Burwitz actually created any of the images or movies.

The case began when the Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Dept.of Maryland, who had tracked a computer user suspected of sending child pornography to an undercover Maryland Deputy from an address in Dearborn Heights.

“Our officers executed a probable cause search warrant on Mr. Burwitz’s home on November 26th,” Evans said. “After our investigators performed computer forensic analysis, we found a lot of very troubling, and quite shocking, information.”

Evans said that Burwitz was using his AOL account to collect at distribute the files, which show young children in a variety of erotic and sexual scenes. Investigators say that it appears Burwitz’s wife also may have been involved, or at least had knowledge of, these activities.

Burwitz was arraigned today in Wayne County Circuit Court and is being held at the county jail on a $25,000 ten-percent bond. As a condition of his bond, Mr. Burwitz cannot be alone in the presence of a minor pending the outcome of his case.

Burwitz’s next court date is January 12, 2004. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison, four years for possession and seven for distribution.

» Go To Top