Former Eaton County Jail Guard Charged With Child Pornography

GRAND RAPIDS — A former Eaton County prison guard who was charged by the state in connection with allegations that he exchanged and shared nude photos of teenagers has been charged with federal crimes.

Ethan Eversman, 24, of Ionia, was charged in federal court on Aug. 6 under a false indictment with sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

“Children should not have to endure the trauma of being victims of child exploitation,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a press release. “My office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect our most defenseless citizens from egregious sexual crimes.”

Attorney Matthew Borgula, of Grand Rapids, was listed in court documents as representing Eversman. No response was returned to his office Thursday morning.

Eversman was indicted in Ionia County in June, a day after the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office fired him. He faced four counts of distributing or promoting child pornography, three counts of aggravated possession and seven counts of using a computer to commit a crime. Eversman posted a $75,000 cash bond. Online court records indicate those charges were dropped days after the federal indictment was issued.

If Eversman is found guilty of the federal charges, he faces up to 30 years in prison.

Eversman admitted to “soliciting and exchanging nude photos” with a teenage girl and distributing child pornography via messaging platforms, a Michigan State Police trooper testified at a hearing in June.

Detectives questioned Eversman and searched his Ionia home.

In addition to requesting and exchanging nude photos with a girl between the ages of 13 and 16, the agent stated that Eversman “confessed” to sending child pornography via Kik Messenger and Session in order to obtain more child sexual abuse material.

The new federal indictment alleges that from 2021 to June 2024, Eversman convinced a minor in New York to take explicit photos and videos of himself and send them to him online. Eversman is also accused of sending child pornography videos to others and possessing child pornography on his cellphone.