Athens County – On October 18th, 2023, Detectives with the Athens County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Southeastern Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force executed a search warrant at 20968 Gift Street in Murray City, Ohio. Law enforcement received a tip regarding child pornography being downloaded a distributed from the residence was received. The tip was provided to the Athens County Sheriff’s Office by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Michael J. Spencer, age 36, was located on scene. Sheriff Smith states “During the investigation,
Spencer confirmed he acquired multiple pictures and videos of juveniles engaged in sexual
acts. Detectives on scene discovered images on electronic devices and collected the material to
be held for evidence.”
Mr. Spencer was taken into custody and transferred to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail. A charge
of Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter Involving a Minor (F2) was submitted to the Athens
County Prosecutor’s Office. Further criminal charges are possible with this case.
Sheriff Rodney Smith and the Athens County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of
the Southeastern Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and members of the Internet Crimes
Against Children Task Force for their assistance in this investigation.
