A 47-year-old North Branch man was arrested earlier this month in a cyber crime sting that the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office called a “trial run” to the County Press newspaper.
The man, Daniel Louis Thorman, was arrested on February 7 on charges of possessing child sexually abusive material, accosting children for immoral purposes and using a computer to commit a crime after chatting with who he thought was a 15-year-old girl but was actually an officer.
With the sheriff’s office monitoring chat sites and engaging in conversation with different individuals from the local region, it wasn’t long before Thorman asked to meet up at the teen’s house. Arriving at the sting house, Thorman was arrested by officers from several different departments, both local and federal, around 4:30 p.m.
Though he was initially let out of jail as investigation continued, video and photos found on his phone contained child pornography and other graphic materials, which landed Thorman back in jail, this time with a $100,000 bond.
While Thorman’s court date is currently unknown, the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office makes clear that his arrest will be the first of many as the office focuses harder on cyber crimes against children and the elderly.
