TRAVERSE CITY -- An ongoing investigation into alleged criminal sexual conduct led to charges against a Grawn man.
The Grand Traverse County Prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant for Christopher Mark Ballard, 26, for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl in October 2008. Ballard alledgedly photographed the incident, and those pictures showed up on the computer of Mark Aloysius Beard, 51.
Beard was charged with criminal sexual conduct this month for allegedly having sex with the same girl.
The girl told the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department she was at Beard's home Jan. 27. While there, Beard allegedly gave her wine and had sex with her, according to court documents. She reported a previous sexual encounter with Beard about two weeks prior, court records show.
A forensic examination of memory cards from Ballard's digital camera recovered pictures of Ballard and the girl that police discovered on Beard's computer.
Beard faces four counts and Ballard one count of criminal sexual conduct with a person between the ages of 13 and 15, a 15-year felony. Ballard and Beard also each face three counts of child sexually abusive activity for the purpose of producing child pornography, a 20-year felony.
Beard also is charged with producing child pornography, possession of child pornography and use of a computer to commit a crime.
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