Couple faces 20 years in prison for child pornography possession, Michigan police say

A couple in Michigan was arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography, and they may face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The Michigan State Police said in a press release that 43-year-old William Nicholas Horner and 42-year-old Stacey Jean Horner were arrested after an investigation found that they had allegedly looked at online files of child sexually abusive material.

The couple was charged with two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and two counts of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material.

The Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, searched the couple's residence in Laurium and obtained digital evidence.

The two were given a bond of $100,000. They were arraigned at the 97^th District Court on Friday and are scheduled for a probable cause conference on Feb. 2.

The counts of criminal computer use carry a possible sentence of 10 years in prison, while the child porn possession counts carry the same possible sentence.

The MSP Computer Crimes Unit said that parents should speak to their children about predators online. Experts say parents need to monitor child computer use to make sure they are not speaking to predators and being tricked into meeting them in real life.

In one case from Harlem, New York, an alleged predator raped a 10-year-old girl who he had met online after asking her to meet him. NYPD was able to obtain surveillance videos of a possible suspect and asked for help from the public in identifying him.

“Parents need to take responsibility for educating their children and monitoring what their kids are doing,” said Michigan computer crimes Det. Sgt. Nichole Dyson. “There are safeguards out there on social media apps and if you’re unaware of them, we have no problem helping to educate you so you can educate your children.”

Laurium is a small village of about 2,000 people in the upper peninsula of the state.

Here's a video about the couple's arrest:

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