OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Keith Workman, 43, is in the Kalamazoo County jail facing several criminal charges.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller said the FBI received a tip. His department and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force acted on that tip. It involved pictures of young teenagers being bound and restrained.
“Go look at what your children are looking at and visit with your kids about what they do on the computer,” the sheriff said.
The department has an internet crime on its hands.
“We have a good feel for how many juveniles were involved in this. We’ve been able to identify some of these people, and we have good resources helping us get through the rest of the information and help identify other people,” Fuller explained.
Who took the pictures isn’t clear at this point in the investigation. However, the photos led detectives to Workman’s Oshtemo Township apartment.
His last known address is at the Canterbury House Apartments. Sheriff’s deputies said they also found a stun gun at his home.
The investigation ultimately resulted in criminal charges against Workman, including 2nd degree child abuse, 4th degree criminal sexual conduct and a weapons violation for having the stun gun.
Fuller urges parents to take charge.
“The take away I hope is, pay attention to your children. Make sure that your children are not on the internet doing things that you don’t approve of,” he suggested.
He added, “Make sure that you know who your children are with. Make sure that, not only do you know them maybe by name, but you have a trust and that they’re not going to have your children doing things that you might not know about.”
Sheriff’s deputies also found a stun gun in Workman’s apartment. The investigation resulted in Workman being charged with 2nd degree child abuse, 4th degree criminal sexual conduct, and a weapons violation for having the stun gun.
Sheriff Fuller said other charges are pending. Workman does not have a criminal record.
He is in the Kalamazoo County jail on a $750,000 bond.
