Former School Principal Found Guilty
A Michigan jury recently found Michael Ettenberger, a 46-year-old former Indiana middle school principal, guilty on charges of child sexual abuse.
The initial investigation began when Indiana police found a Craigslist ad. It was supposedly posted by a married couple with preteen daughters. They were looking for other “adventurous” couples who enjoyed “taboo fantasies”. In a police interview, Ettenberger admitted to a lifetime obsession with porn. This led him to more deviant ways to find pleasure.
Later in the investigation police determined that this was only one of many Craigslist ads posted by Ettenberger. He often posed as a single female or a married couple when posting his ads.
It was also discovered that Ettenberger had made internet contact with a woman named Jill Miller, from Clark Lake, Michigan. He then pressured her into sending him sexual photos and videos of her daughter, now 9-years-old.
Both Miller and Ettenberger were charged with online solicitation of child sexually abusive material (CSAM) in December of 2013. Miller was sentenced to six to fifteen years in prison after she pled guilty to Criminal Sexual Conduct, Child Sexually Abusive Activity and Using the Internet/Computer to Communicate with Another to Commit a Crime.
The Jury deliberated for over four hours. They found Ettenberger guilty on all four felony counts, namely:
- 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (aider and abettor to co-defendant Jill Miller)
- Child Sexually Abusive Activity (aider and abettor to co-defendant Jill Miller)
- Using the Internet/Computer to Communicate with Another to Commit a Crime
- Possession of Child Sexually Abusive Material (CSAM)
According to Mark Maloney, one of the jurors, the jury was able to get to a quick and decisive decision on two of the charges. They had a hard time agreeing to a verdict on the charges of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and “child sexually abusive activity”.
Ettenberger’s sentencing has been scheduled for November 5th.