February 22, 2007

            LANSING - Attorney General Mike Cox today announced the arrest a of a Plymouth High School teacher, Orin Andrew Kennedy of Ypsilanti, for using the Internet to proposition a minor and send sexually explicit material over the Internet.  Kennedy is a high school English teacher for the Plymouth-Canton School District.

            "Predators continue to lurk on the Internet, trying to approach minors," said Cox.  "My office will not let up in its pursuit to track down and prosecute these predators who seek to harm Michigan's children."

            Attorney General investigators arrested Kennedy, 27, this morning. The defendant is alleged to have been chatting online with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl that he met in a chatroom.  Kennedy allegedly engaged in graphic sexual conversation with an undercover agent and propositioned the agent, who was posing as the 14-year-old girl.  The defendant also asked the agent to watch a sexually explicit act.  Kennedy was arrested at his home in Ypsilanti where he is alleged to live.  Attorney General investigators also seized a laptop computer and webcam from his home.

            Kennedy was arraigned on February 22, 2007 in Ypsilanti's 14B District Court, before Magistrate Camille Horne, on 1 count of Using a Computer to Accost and Solicit a Minor for Immoral Purposes, a 10-year felony, and 1 count of Using a Computer to Disseminate Sexually Explicit Matter to a Minor, a 4-year felony.

            Magistrate Horne set bond at $50,000 or 10 percent, with stipulations that the defendant have no computer or Internet usage.  Kennedy will be back in court for a preliminary examination scheduled for March 14, 2007 at 1:00 p.m..

            Parents are encouraged to check their children's "buddy lists" for the screen name(s) Kennedy used including "oxyd69."  If they believe their child had contact with Kennedy, parents should contact the Attorney General's office at (313) 456-0180.

            A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  

            Since its restructuring, Cox's Child and Public Protection Unit has arrested 122 Internet sexual predators. Attorney General Cox encourages parents to visit www.michigan.gov/ag for tips on safe Internet usage for children. Citizens can also report suspected Internet child predators via the Report Internet Abuses Against Children link, or by calling the Child and Public Protection Unit at (313) 456-0180.

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