GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. – A hidden camera in a girl’s bedroom helped lead police to a Michigan man with 294 graphic images on his cellphone, officials said.
Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson said Nickolas Lee, 30, was arrested as part of the latest GHOST (Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team) operation.
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Last fall, a camera was planted in an underage girl’s bedroom, Swanson said. Adults in her home found the camera and went to police.
“In this young victim’s life, will they ever trust what’s in their bedroom again because of a simple camera that was plugged in with the sole intention of securing footage of a young victim in their bedroom doing what all of us do in our bedroom, where we think we’re safe?” Swanson said.
Investigators traced the camera back to Lee, and when he was taken into custody, 294 graphic images were found on his phone, according to the sheriff.
“This right here is the creepy white van of the 21st Century,” Swanson said, gesturing to the confiscated cellphone. “This right here is what holds child pornography around the world.”
Lee was charged with using a computer to commit a crime and accosting a child for immoral purposes. He is also facing 30 counts of child pornography for what police say was found on his phone.
“These are young girls that are in single digits with grown men,” Swanson said.
Lee is being held on $600,000 cash bond.