Muskegon-area man faces federal sex assault charges
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man has been arrested on several charges including child criminally sexual conduct after he allegedly assaulted a girl, according to federal court documents.
Federal court documents say that in December 2023, the victim’s mother contacted the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office after her 13-year-old daughter told her that Brandon Chase, 44, had sexually assaulted her.
On Jan. 2, the mother told detectives that she had received a notification from Google that her Gmail storage was running low. When she checked it out, she said, she found a “locked folder” that included graphic photos and videos of her daughter and Chase. The mother told detectives Chase had a cellphone that was linked to her Gmail account.
Court documents say that when the girl was interviewed, she told officers that Chase had sexually assaulted her starting when she was 11 years old until about a month after school had started in September 2023. She said the abuse had happened at her home near Grand Haven, Chase’s Muskegon home and Chase’s aunt’s home in Muskegon.
She told officers that after her 13th birthday, a friend was over and Chase suggested that they “do things” with her friends, court documents say. The girl told him no.
On Jan. 16, Chase was arrested in Muskegon Charter Township on charges of first-degree child criminally sexual conduct, manufacturing child sexual abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime, court documents say.
When the FBI interviewed him, Chase admitted to creating a “secure folder” on the girl’s mother’s Google account and intentionally storing “non-nude photos” of the girl. He also said he accessed the folder later and viewed the photos.
He’s also facing charges in Muskegon County Circuit Court.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
