(WWJ) A Macomb County man is behind bars, accused of taking and sharing graphic photos of his 7-year-old daughter.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said Jerome Chene of Washington Township used the child sexually abusive pictures as so-called payment to have sex with another man's girlfriend.
"Can you imagine a 7-year-old being used as currency?" Swanson said, at a news conference. "This young life was being exploited by somebody very close, so that person could have sex with another human being."
Chene, 28, was arrested on July 5 following an undercover investigation by the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, or GHOST — a special unit investigating sex trafficking crimes in the area.
"This is happening in everybody's backyard; it's happening right here," Swanson said. "When you foil the plot, where we stopped it before this 7-year-old was actually physically exploited. Just as bad, she was photographed by her own father in the worst situation...GHOST was there to help. And it was because of everybody and because of everything we're doing that we protect people that can't protect themselves."
Cnene is charged with aggravated child sexually abusive material, using a computer to commit a crime, distribution and promotion of child pornography, and accosting a child for immoral purposes.
Also charged in the case are the man it's alleged that he gave the photos to, 36-year-old Daniel Flowers, along with his girlfriend, 31-year-old Michelle Irwin. They were arrested by GHOST and charged with child sexually abusive material, using a computer to commit a crime, distributing and promoting child sexually abusive activity, possession of child sexually abusive material and child accosting for immoral purposes, per court records.
Flowers and Irwin remain in the Genesee County Jail on a $100,000 cash/surety bond. Chene is lodged in the Genesee County Jail on a $50,000 cash/surety bond.
For more information about GHOST and how you can help in the effort to fight human trafficking, visit this link.
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