Ex-President Of Oakland County Group Faces Child Porn Charges: Sheriff

CLARKSTON, MI — The former president of an Oakland County group is facing child porn charges, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

James Lawrence Meloche, 81, of Clarkston, was charged with three counts of child sexually abusive activity, one count of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of possession of child sexually abusive activity.

He was placed in the Oakland County Jail with a bond set at $100,000.

On Oct. 11, 2023, Meloche attended a meeting for the Village of Clarkston Historic District Commission, sheriff's officials said.

Officials said Meloche was the president of the group at the time.

After the meeting, someone discovered a stack of papers that belonged to Meloche, sheriff's officials said.

Within that stack of papers were "several pornographic images or materials" mixed in with copies of the meeting agenda and personal emails, sheriff's officials said.

Officials said the images were sexual in nature and included pictures of children.

The papers were turned over to Oakland County detectives, who received a search warrant for Meloche’s home in Clarkston, sheriff's officials said.

During the search, officers confiscated a cellphone, several computers, CDs, a camera, and multiple "sheets of homemade pornography," sheriff's officials said.

Officials said it took investigators months to go through the electronic and storage devices. They ultimately found more than 1,000 images of minor children "superimposed on a pornographic image," sheriff's officials said.

Most images had a sexually explicit caption or description of what was being depicted in the finished image, sheriff's officials said.

Some images also included graphic drawings, sheriff's officials said.

Officials identified three of the children, who were all known to Meloche. No others were identified.

"Anything involving child sexually abusive activity we take extremely seriously and fully investigate to hold the responsible person accountable to the full extent of the law," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.