Calhoun County Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

June 24, 2010 - GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Bradley Dean Buehrer, 30, of Marshall, Michigan, pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a child, U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced today. Buehrer pleaded guilty to taking sexually explicit pictures as he sexually assaulted a 2-year-old girl. The assault occurred back in September 30, 2005, in Buehrer’s former residence in Jonesville, Michigan. The pictures were not discovered until April 2010, after Buehrer’s girlfriend discovered and reported the pictures to law enforcement authorities. Buehrer was arrested on May 13, 2010, and has remained in custody.

Sentencing for Buehrer is scheduled for September 28, 2010, and will be before the Honorable Robert Holmes Bell, U.S. District Court Judge. At sentencing, the defendant will be facing a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and maximum of 30 years in prison, a lifetime term of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The investigation of this matter was conducted by the FBI, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, and Marshall Police Department, with the assistance of the Calhoun County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru.