Metro Detroit sex offender accused of talking to Florida minor online, sending explicit images
(CBS DETROIT) - A sex offender in Westland is accused of sending explicit images online to a minor in Florida and trying to persuade her to have sex with him.
According to a criminal complaint filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Tampa police notified Michigan State Police in October 2023 about an IP address from Michigan that was sending photos to a minor. Police found about 11 nude photos of an individual, including one with his face.
An investigation uncovered a chat between the suspect, later identified as Ronald Neil Check, and the minor in May 2023. In one of the messages, Check claimed to be 13 years old and offered money for sex. According to the criminal complaint, they also connected through video chat, to which the minor told him to stop.
The criminal complaint shows that the child's mother intervened toward the end of the chat, demanding that Check stop contacting the minor. However, he refused, even saying, "... now let me talk to her." He also attempted to video call 14 times.
Investigators linked the IP address to a home in Westland, where a woman said Check lived in a tent in her backyard and had access to her internet password. Police learned that Check was previously convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and was registered as a sex offender.
Records show that at the time of the investigation in October 2023, Check was in Wayne County Jail, pending breaking and entering charges. He was not in police custody at the time he contacted the minor in May.
Police executed a search warrant and recovered eight phones, four of which had more than 100 photos and videos of child pornography. Check allegedly created a new username in an attempt to reconnect with the minor, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint called for an arrest warrant against Check for possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor, violating his sex offender registry, and sending obscene material to a minor.