DETROIT – A man previously convicted for having thousands of images of child pornography was arrested in Metro Detroit after possessing thousands of images of child pornography again, according to court records.
Jon Lee Sabourin was arrested in January 2025 after his probation officer found thousands of images of child pornography on his phone. He was also reportedly not allowed to have a phone after he was released from prison.
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Details
Around January 2025, law enforcement received information that a suspicious person was videotaping the private areas of contestants during a high-school gymnastics meet in Metro Detroit. According to police, a photo provided by a parent showed a man sitting at the bleachers holding a camcorder, which appeared to be recording.
Sabourin’s probation officer confirmed that he was the man in the photo. Police were also given a description of the man’s car and license plate number, which came back to Sabourin.
On Jan. 26, 2025, Sabourin’s probation officer went to his home and searched the area. The probation officer took Sabourin’s phone and video recorder. According to authorities, he was not authorized to have those items under the conditions of his supervised release.
During the probation officer’s search, Sabourin reportedly admitted to having child porn on his cell phone. On Feb. 11, 2025, a federal search warrant was issued for Sabourin’s devices.
During the search, law enforcement found about 2,494 images of child pornography on Sabourin’s phone. FBI agents said several of the images were distributed online.
While law enforcement took Sabourin’s phone, they said it was in the process of downloading several files containing child pornography.
Previous conviction
In December 2016, Sabourin was convicted in federal court in Florida of distribution of child pornography.
In this case, court records say Sabourin possessed thousands of images and videos of child porn. He was sentenced to 121 months in prison with 15 years of supervised release. His supervised release began on Nov. 6, 2024.
