Huron County Prosecutor Tim Rutkowski announced a Filion man caught during a 2022 Human Trafficking Task Force sting pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from evidence found by the task force.
On Tuesday, July 25, 71-year-old Dale Joseph Ignash of Filion pleaded guilty to child sexually abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime, both punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and accosting a child for immoral purposes, which carries up to four years of prison time.
Ignash was arrested August 17, 2022, during a sting initiated by the Huron County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Sanilac and Tuscola County Sheriff’s Offices, the Sanilac County Drug Task Force and the Bad Axe Police Department. Members of the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (GHOST), a division of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, also provided assistance.
Officers report that Ignash was unaware he was talking to an undercover officer as he made plans to meet up with a supposed 15-year-old minor. When he arrived at the sting location in Caseville, law enforcement officers promptly arrested him. The following day, Prosecutor Timothy Rutkowski charged Ignash with the three felony offenses to which he ultimately pleaded guilty. Ignash will be sentenced for his crimes on September 25, at 9:00 a.m., before the Hon. Gerald M. Prill.
Prosecutor Rutkowski thanks Sheriff Hanson and the Huron County Sheriff’s Office for leading this operation as well as the Sanilac and Tuscola County Sheriff’s Offices, the Bad Axe Police Department, and the GHOST team members for their invaluable assistance in resolving this case.
