Walsh pleads guilty to accosting child for immoral purposes
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ALPENA -- James Walsh, 33, pleaded guilty to children – accosting for immoral purposes and computers – communicating with another to commit a crime on Monday in the 26th Circuit Court in Alpena.
Walsh was arraigned on those charges and a charge of resisting police on Aug. 11 in the 88th District Court in Alpena County. The charge of resisting police was dismissed in the plea deal.
A preliminary investigation indicates that on Aug. 8, troopers were made aware that Walsh was engaging in conversations of a sexual nature with an individual posing as a 13-year-old girl. The conversations began in May and continued until troopers were notified on Aug. 8.
During the investigation, troopers located Walsh in a parking lot of an apartment complex. When troopers advised Walsh he was under arrest, he resisted. Walsh was ultimately arrested and lodged at the Alpena County Jail. He was given a $25,000 cash or surety bond.
Walsh was released from jail after a stipulated order for bond modification was submitted on Sept. 30, according to Alpena County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Alyssa Miller.
He is under bond conditions including no internet use or use of devices that can connect to the internet and wearing a GPS tether.
A sentence of five years probation is part of the plea agreement with no upfront jail time. That probation period will involve strict conditions, including a continued ban on internet access.
Walsh will be registered as a tier two sex offender, meaning he will be on the sex offender registry for 25 years.
Other terms of Walsh's probation are agreed to be increased case management, increased frequency of contact with individuals at Northeast Michigan Community Mental Health Authority (NEMCMH), behavioral assessment, behavior treatment, increased supervision, skill building offerings as it relates to social behavior and internet use, and risk management and safety planning.
The charges Walsh pleaded guilty to are a maximum four year prison sentence for accosting a child, and a maximum 10 year prison sentence for using computers to commit a crime.
When establishing a factual basis for the charges, Walsh agreed under oath that he had been communicating with an adult female whose internet presence was that of a minor female child. That person indicated that they were 13 years old. Walsh admitted to soliciting that person for sexual intercourse.
Walsh will be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 4 in the 26th Circuit Court.