Ann Arbor man facing trial on child pornography charges
An Ann Arbor man is expected to stand trial for four charges of possessing child pornography after his case was sent to Washtenaw County Trial Court Wednesday.
Surric Hayes
Courtesy of Facebook
Surric Hayes, 28, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges and waived his preliminary exam while in 14A-1 District Court Wednesday. Lawyers on the case indicated that a plea agreement may be reached between the two sides before the case comes before a jury.
A man contacted Saline police after finding child pornography on Hayes’ computer, according to Ann Arbor police. Investigators then examined Hayes’ computer and found a number of images of child pornography, police said.
Hayes is currently free on a personal recognizance bond. His next scheduled court appearance is a pretrial hearing in front of Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Donald Shelton at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 22.
If convicted, Hayes faces up to four years in prison for each charge.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
TaxPayer
Tue, Oct 18, 2011 : 4:14 p.m.
@Sallyxyz: A plea agreement saves the victim from court appearances and taking the stand to testify. Especially when there are children involved, sometimes it is the very best option for their mental health. Further, a plea agreement is a cost effective way to prosecute a non-violent crime.
Anonymous
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 9:35 p.m.
@DougEFresh - Because the children in the photos are being abused. And, to support that - in any way - is a crime ... As it should be.
obviouscomment
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 9:13 p.m.
good job posting the pic from facebook...you should make good use of this on more articles
DougEFresh
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 4:03 p.m.
What has this man done that is so bad to deserve jail time? He had images on his computer. So what? As far as we know he was not running a server hosting these images, much less taking the photos, and much less actually having sex with children. Why is he a threat to the community? You cannot punish someone for what they MIGHT do. Perhaps, we should think about this in the opposite way; by using photos for sexual satisfaction he may have reduced his need to actually act out his fantasy. Please don't judge and punish someone because his innate sexuality is different than yours.
Barb
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 7:41 p.m.
Don't feed the trollers.
DBlaine
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 5:15 p.m.
There are some things in society that we find so untolerable, that we should prosecute the consumers as well as the producers of these illicit goods. Consuming images of child pornography creates a market that provides an incentive, or at the very least an outlet, for child sexual exploitation. If you want to stand up for child abuse, go ahead. Don't think you'll get many followers.
A2lover
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 12:19 p.m.
Seems to be a lot more child pornography charges lately. Wonder why that is?
Anonymous
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 8:56 a.m.
I happen to know Mr. Hayes and I was absolutely in shock to see this article about him. He truly doesn't seem like the type to do something so appalling. I am well-aware that everyone seems to say the same thing when they know someone who is accused of a heinous crime, but it's true. However, if he is - indeed - guilty of possessing child pornography, I believe that he should be punished. It is not uncommon for people who view child pornography to "escalate" their crimes ... Sometimes, they graduate to molestation. So, punishment and counseling is definitely warranted, if he's proven guilty (I'm not saying that Mr. Hayes would necessarily become a child molester, but every precaution should be taken to prevent such a thing). As sad as it is to see an acquaintance in such a situation, I have always taken a very harsh stance against any sort of child abuse. I will not become a hypocrite, simply because someone I know is involved in this sort of thing.
RJA
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.
OMG, free until Nov 22nd. If convicted, I hope he spends the 4 years. I consider this a serious crime.
Wolf's Bane
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 8:06 p.m.
That is so disgusting!!!
15crown00
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 7:43 p.m.
why a plea agreement?
slave2work
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 6:09 p.m.
amen!! DBH.. journalistic integrity please.
Sallyxyz
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 4:36 p.m.
"Lawyers on the case indicated that a plea agreement may be reached between the two sides before the case comes before a jury." Can someone explain why? This is outrageous. There is no reason to bargain down these charges. When are perps going to start getting sentences for actual crimes committed in Washtenaw County???
Barb
Mon, Oct 17, 2011 : 7:45 p.m.
If they can avoid a trial and still (I'm assuming this is the goal) get him jail time, it is in the best interest of the County to do so. Going to trial is expensive.
Tesla
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 6:52 p.m.
Because the prosecutor has a weak case.
DBH
Sun, Oct 16, 2011 : 4:25 p.m.
Hey, Mr. Feldscher, if these charges are true and if any of the images are of relatives of his, this time would you consider not feeling obligated to reveal this in any subsequent AnnArbor.com coverage of the story? Thanks.