Pandering suspect may be out of state

PERKINS TWP. — A Sandusky man indicted in 2024 on sex charges has yet to be arraigned. Michael D. Brown, 30, of the 5900 block of Milan Road (U.S. 250), was indicted in June 2024 with two counts of second-degree felony pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person and 10 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person. The charges allege that Brown was in possession of obscene or sexually-oriented matter between Nov. 23, 2023, and March 26, 2024. Brown was arrested on March 26, 2024. He appeared in Sandusky Municipal Court and was released on his own recognizance. Erie County grand jurors handed down the indictment in June 2024, and a summons was issued for Brown to appear for an arraignment in common pleas court. When deputies attempted to serve the summons at the Milan Road address, it was found that Brown no longer lived there. The summons was returned to the clerk of court's office. After that, for about the next two years, no warrant was ever issued for his arrest; it's not clear why. After Sheriff Paul Sigsworth recently reached out to the prosecutor's office about the matter, a warrant was issued on Friday for Brown's arrest. It has a nationwide pickup radius, according to Sigsworth. It is suspected that Brown is no longer residing in the state of Ohio. Anyone with information about Brown's location can call the Erie County Sheriff's Office detective bureau at 419-625-7951. All caller information can be kept anonymous. Background The charges against Brown arise from a tip Perkins police received from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. "These task forces work with all of the social media companies that have software that detects suspected child pornography," according to a Perkins police social media post. "Matthew David Brown did possess an image of a minor pubescent female engaged in sexual activity on an image date stamped as Nov. 23, 2023, 2:45 p.m.," a criminal complaint states.