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Former Michigan police officer accused of child sexually abusive activity
Not knowing it was a sting operation, the suspect, Jeffrey Morningstar, offered money to have sex with a 15-year-old, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said.
***WARNING: This story contains graphic details.***
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A former police officer who worked in Michigan and Florida allegedly offered to pay $125 to have sex with a teenager.
According to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, 60-year-old Jeffrey David Morningstar was charged with child sexually abusive activity, using a computer to commit a crime, and accosting a child for immoral purposes – after turning himself in on Thursday.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson announced the charges Morningstar is facing in a news conference that was live-streamed to Facebook, while holding a photo of the suspect.
Swanson said law enforcement first made contact with Morningstar online, via a Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (G.H.O.S.T) sting operation that took place in July.
G.H.O.S.T, which is a special task force that aims to keep offenders off the streets, posed as a human trafficker in Burton.
"When Morningstar answered the call of our sting, he responded because a trafficker was selling a 15-year-old," Swanson said. "He wanted to pay the trafficker $125 to have sex, and an extra $25 for the young victim to urinate on him."
Jeffrey David Morningstar
When he showed up and knocked on the door of the address he was given, G.H.O.S.T answered.
Police are still investigating. It is unclear at this time if the suspect has committed similar or worse crimes prior; the sheriff's office is asking anyone who may have been a victim of Morningstar to contact law enforcement.
"Has he done it to someone who wasn't G.H.O.S.T?" Swanson said. "If there's any interaction that you may have had that you feel victimized, that you've never been able to tell your story, please come forward."
Morningstar once worked for Detroit police in the late 1990s, before moving to several other departments.
Most recently, he spent 12 years with the Longboat Key Police Department, outside of Tampa, Florida, where he was eventually promoted to sergeant.
Morningstar was not an active police officer at the time of the sting operation.
Jeffrey Morningstar being promoted to sergeant at the Longboat Key Police Department in 2014. (Provided by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office)
"Ten years before we arrested him, this guy was a sergeant on a police department," the sheriff said.
After a warrant was authorized for his arrest, the former officer turned himself in on Thursday and was arraigned in the 67th District Court. He was given a $44,000 bond.
Morningstar is not allowed to communicate with anyone under 18 years old. He is expected to appear in court on Aug. 22 for a probable cause hearing.
The Burton Police Department, Michigan State Police, the FBI, Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security assisted in the sting operation.
FOX 2 Detroit reached out to Morningstar's attorney for a comment but did not receive a response before the story aired Thursday night.
"I know it's hard for families to hear that, but we've always been transparent in these investigations, not just to demean or humiliate – that's not my intention, but it's to send a message that predators are among us," Swanson said. "And G.H.O.S.T will be there to find them."