A 26-year-old Union Township man faces eight felony counts related to child pornography in Isabella County Magistrate Court.

Magistrate Aaron Miller arraigned JiAire Dion Rodriguez Tuesday afternoon on three counts of child abusive sexual activity, a 20-year felony; three counts of possession of sexually abusive material to children, a four-year felony; and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime, with the first count being a seven-year felony and the second being a 20-year felony.

Miller ordered Rodriguez, who has pleaded not guilty, to remain in the Isabella County Jail on $25,000 bail, according to court records.

Rodriguez faces a preliminary hearing in Isabella County Magistrate Judge Sara Spencer-Noggle’s Mt. Pleasant courtroom on Nov. 27 at 1:15 p.m.

Rodriguez is accused of having child pornography on his cell phone, which was allegedly discovered by the mother of his child in February 2022, according to court records.

A therapist called Isabella County Central Dispatch after the woman reported seeing the images on Rodriguez’s phone, prompting an investigation by the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office, according to court records.

The woman, who is not in a dating relationship with Rodriguez but the two share a 2-year-old son, told police she took Rodriguez to work on Feb. 12, 2022, and then unlocked her phone for her son, finding a file that contained “multiple videos that appeared to be child pornography” featuring children who appeared to be between 5 and 10 years old, according to the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint.

Once he realized what he was seeing, he didn’t open anything else in the file, but estimated there were more than 25 videos, according to court records.

He also told police that the phone was not Rodriguez’s primary phone; Police served a search warrant to confiscate both phones.

After telling police they would find child pornography on the phones, Rodriguez refused to say anything else, according to court records.

Police allegedly found 98 downloads of what appeared to be child pornography on one phone and 160 on the other, according to court records.

Originally Posted: November 12, 2024 at 3:01 pm EST