Former Michigan police officer pleads guilty after trying to meet teen for sex, sheriff says
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A former Michigan police officer who authorities say offered to pay a teen for sex is looking at prison time after pleading guilty to one of the crimes he was charged with.
Jeffrey Monringstar, 61, pleaded guilty to using a computer to commit a crime this month. As a result of his plea, a child sexually abusive activity charge and using a computer to commit a crime charge will be dismissed.
The backstory:
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said law enforcement first made contact with Morningstar online, via a Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (G.H.O.S.T) sting operation that took place in July 2024.
G.H.O.S.T, which is a special task force that aims to keep offenders off the streets, posed as a human trafficker in Burton.
"When Morningstar answered the call of our sting, he responded because a trafficker was selling a 15-year-old," Swanson said. "He wanted to pay the trafficker $125 to have sex, and an extra $25 for the young victim to urinate on him."
Morningstar once worked for Detroit police in the late 1990s, before moving to several other departments.
Most recently, he spent 12 years with the Longboat Key Police Department, outside of Tampa, Fla. where he was eventually promoted to sergeant.
Morningstar was not an active police officer at the time of the sting operation.
What's next:
Morningstar is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3.
The Source: Previous FOX 2 reporting and a Sheriff Chris Swanson press conference were used in this story.