Martial arts instructor from Hillsdale charged with sexting minor admits actions

Corey Murray, Hillsdale Daily News
Updated ·2 min read
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HILLSDALE — A Hillsdale man charged with accosting a child for immoral purposes and using a computer to commit a crime pleaded guilty as charged to accosting a child for immoral purposes on Friday, May 17.

Mark Russell Shemwell, 45, entered into a plea bargain May 17 that will dismiss the charge of using a computer to commit a crime. He is tentatively scheduled for sentencing at 8:30 a.m. June 24 in the 1st Judicial Circuit Court. He faces up to four years in prison.

Shemwell, the former co-owner of Shemwell Academy of Martial Arts, was arrested Jan. 23 in front of the business in Jonesville after being confronted by members of Exposing Predators of Innocent Children (EPIC) — an Indiana-based network dedicated to outing would-be child predators on live social media — in a Facebook Live post that instantly went viral.

In the Facebook video, Shemwell first admitted to sexting a “15-year-old girl” and making arrangements to meet with her to have sexual intercourse. The victim turned out to be an adult male with the EPIC group working as a decoy.

The Jonesville Police Department responded to Shemwell’s gym and the EPIC group turned over transcripts of text messages with Shemwell proving his guilt and Shemwell was taken into custody.

The Hillsdale County Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement following Shemwell’s plea hearing May 17, asking the public to not privately engage in attempts to catch supposed predators on the internet.

In 2019, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office released a statement indicating it would not pursue cases brought forth by vigilantes targeting suspected child predators on the internet, calling it “reckless and dangerous for residents to take matters into their own hands.”

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Efforts by private individuals can interfere with the ability to protect communities as protocols in place must be used during these types of sting operations.

Shemwell’s request for a bond reduction was denied May 17. He remains lodged at the Hillsdale County Jail on a $15,000 cash bond.

— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Martial arts instructor charged with sexting minor admits actions