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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