4 West Michigan men, including teacher, arrested in child exploitation sting

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Four men from West Michigan, including a Battle Creek-area teacher, have been arrested after authorities say they sent explicit images to or solicited undercover officers who they thought were teenage girls online.

According to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office , undercover detectives from the Human Trafficking Task Force and FBI agents placed ads on social media platforms posing as minors. They say they were contacted by multiple men, sending and requesting sexually explicit videos and photos. Authorities say two of the men drove to meet the undercover officers expecting a sexual encounter.

Four men have been arrested and arraigned on a trio of charges: Jason Burgess, 40, of Colon; Samuel Durham, 36, of East Grand Rapids; Justin Hastings, 40, of Comstock Park; and Thomas Ramsey, 66, of Wyoming.

All four have been charged with one count of child sexually abusive activity, accosting a minor and using a computer to communicate with another to commit a crime. All three are felony charges. If convicted, the men could face up to life in prison.

Two other men — one from Michigan and another from Indiana — are expected to be arrested pending further investigation. Their names were not released Thursday.

Court documents say Burgess was a high school teacher. Harper Creek Community Schools near Battle Creek confirmed in a Thursday letter to parents and staff that one of its teachers was charged with a crime and resigned.

“The alleged criminal conduct concerns off-duty behavior unrelated to any district activities or students. The teacher has resigned from their teaching position,” Superintendent Rob Ridgeway wrote.

He assured parents that the district “took immediate action to ensure the safety of our students” and that it will cooperate with authorities. He added that the district does not discuss personnel matters “as a matter of principle.”

Probable cause affidavits filed with the court say undercover officers and agents posed as 14-year-old girls on various websites and apps.

Court documents say Burgess sent an officer who he thought was a teen girl an explicit image and “engage(d) in sexually obscene conversations.” After investigators searched his home on Aug. 9, the document says, Burgess admitted to sending the image and the inappropriate conversations.

Durham, the documents say, also had explicit conversations with an undercover officer. The documents say he agreed to meet someone he thought was a teen girl but didn’t arrive at that meeting. After a few more days, another meeting was arranged, the documents said. After Durham arrived, marked cruisers showed up with lights on and Durham took off, the documents say. He was followed to a nearby subdivision and arrested. The documents say when interviewed, Durham admitted to talking with the agent online.

“He knew she was 14 but thought it was a fake conversation,” the documents said. “…(H)e later mentioned he didn’t realize that engaging in graphic sexual conversation with the UC was illegal.”

Court documents say Hastings engaged in explicit conversations with the undercover officer he thought was a teenage girl. They say he agreed to meet up with the undercover officer and that when he arrived, he was arrested.

“During an interview, Hastings stated that he believed the UC (undercover officer) would be more trusting if there were a sexual component to their conversation,” the document reads in part. “He confirmed that he thought introducing a sexual element would foster a stronger connection between him and the UC, expressing the view that everyone is entitled to some form of entertainment, regardless of age or gender.”

According to court documents, Ramsey solicited the undercover officer, who he thought was 14, for sex with both her and her 12-year-old sister (who does not actually exist) and had explicit conversations with the officer. Authorities say Ramsey arranged to meet the undercover officer but never showed up. He is on probation, so he was arrested on a probation violation and jailed. The document says Thomas admitted to investigators that he was the person who had the online conversations with the undercover officer but said he “didn’t know why he was talking to them in a sexually graphic manner.” The document said he also admitted being attracted to minors.

Kent County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Eric Brunner said there isn’t currently any evidence to show a connection between the six men, though the investigation is ongoing.

“Every time we run one of these operations, there is always a suspect that is identified or apprehended. We know this is a problem. We know it’s going on in the underbelly of our community. It’s taking place over social media, over the internet, over the dark web,” Brunner said.

He encouraged parents to talk with their kids about the dangers of predators.

“We can have those conversations with our kids, we can be involved in their lives. If you can’t, push them toward a counselor, mentor or someone else that they can talk to about the struggles that are going on, the things that they are doing with technology,” he said. “That is the common thread we have here. This is all taking place across the internet or cellphones or computers.”

The KCSO encouraged anyone who knows someone who is being exploited or trafficked to reach out to the office’s Human Trafficking Task Force at 616.632.6125 or HTTF@kentcountymi.gov .

—News 8’s Byron Tollefson contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.