MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The last of the seven men arrested in an undercover operation in child sex crimes in Marquette County two weeks ago has been arraigned on his charges.
The Marquette County Prosecutor’s Office confirms 68-year-old Calvin Veldt, of Sault Ste. Marie, faces four charges: child abusive commercial activity; two counts of using a computer to commit a crime, a 20-year felony; and accosting a child for immoral purposes. He was arraigned Monday morning.
Veldt posted bond $1,000. He is scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause conference on September 7.
UPDATE 8/24/23: Two more men that were arrested during a child sex crime undercover operation in Forsyth Township last week have been arraigned in the Marquette County District Court.
The men are 26-year-old Ryan Howard of Negaunee, and 62-year old Thomas Soetaert of Skandia.
Both men were charged with the following four charges: child sexually abusive activity, a 20-year felony; using a computer to commit a crime, a 20-year felony; accosting a child for immoral purposes, a four-year felony; and using a computer to commit a crime, a seven-year felony.
Both Howard and Soetaert have posted bond, and both are scheduled for a Probable Cause Hearing on August 31st.
Just one of the seven men who were arrested in the undercover operation has not been arraigned yet. He is due in court for arraignment on August 28.
UPDATE 8/22/23: Four of the seven men arrested during a child sex crime undercover operation in Forsyth Township last week have been arraigned in Marquette County District Court.
The men are 21-year-old Dylan Abramson of Houghton, 61-year-old Vincent Roop of Newberry, 41-year-old James Peterson of Wallace, and 18-year-old Hunter Trepanier of Gwinn. They were arraigned on Friday, August 18.
Their charges are as follows:
Dylan Abramson: child sexually abusive activity- aggravated, computers- using to commit crime (20-year felony), computers- using to commit crime, children- accosting for immoral purposes.
Vincent Roop: child abusive commercial activity, computers- using to commit crime (20-year felony), computers- using to commit a crime, children- accosting a child for immoral purposes.
James Peterson: child abusive commercial activity, computers- using to commit crime (20-year felony), computers- using to commit a crime, children- accosting a child for immoral purposes.
Hunter Trepanier: child abusive commercial activity, computers- using to commit crime (20-year felony), computers- using to commit a crime, children- accosting a child for immoral purposes.
All four men are scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause conference on Thursday August, 24.
The names of the three additional suspects, a 26-year-old man from Negaunee, a 67-year-old man from Sault Ste. Marie, and a 62-year-old man from Skandia, will be released following their arraignments.
Original story (Aug. 21):
Seven people are facing felony charges after a three-day, multi-agency undercover operation in Forsyth Township.
The Marquette County Prosecutor’s Office says the undercover operation took place between Aug. 17 and Aug. 20. The operation targeted suspects that utilize internet dating and prostitution platforms for underage sex crimes. All suspects that arrived at the operation location were told the age of the decoy officer was 15 years old.
The suspects include at 61-year-old man from Newberry, a 21-year-old man from Houghton, a 41-year-old man from Wallace, an 18-year-old man from Gwinn, a 26-year-old man from Negaunee, a 67-year-old man from Sault Ste. Marie, and a 62-year-old man from Skandia. Their names will be released upon arraignment in Marquette County’s 96th District Court.
Each faces four charges: child sexually abusive activity, a 20-year felony; using a computer to commit a crime, a 20-year felony; accosting a child for immoral purposes, a four-year felony; and using a computer to commit a crime, a seven-year felony.
The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office; the Michigan State Police; the Forsyth Township Police; the Marquette City Police; the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (GHOST) from Genesee County, Michigan; the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team (UPSET); and the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center
(MIOC).
Journalist Chris Hansen and his crew with the TruBlu crime streaming network imbedded with the operation to film and confront the suspects. The first episode is expected to be available for viewing on 8/24/23 through watchtrublu.com or the TruBlu mobile app.
