A 27-year-old Wixom man is being held on a $500,000 bond after Auburn Hills police say they discovered hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse on his cell phone, including material showing prepubescent children. David Grosh now faces three counts of aggravated child sexually abusive activity and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime, felonies that together carry the possibility of decades behind bars.
Grosh was arraigned Monday and can only be released from the Oakland County Jail if he posts 10 percent of his bond in cash or surety, according to The Oakland Press. The search warrant that turned up the material was executed as part of a separate investigation, the outlet reports, and the alleged discovery has since triggered a cascade of serious felony counts under Michigan law.
An Embezzlement Case That Took an Unexpected Turn
Auburn Hills Police Chief Ryan Gagnon said the case began as a simple embezzlement investigation, per the same account. Under Michigan evidence law, forensic search warrants tied to financial or corporate investigations can lawfully extend to full digital device extractions when probable cause suggests electronic storage devices hold relevant records, according to Justia Law. That legal mechanism appears to explain how a financial inquiry gave officers the authority to search Grosh's phone in the first place.
Because Grosh lives in Wixom, roughly 25 miles west of Auburn Hills, the Auburn Hills Police Department received assistance from both the Wixom Police Department and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the report notes. Multi-jurisdictional cooperation of that kind is standard when a suspect resides outside the investigating agency's borders.
Why the Charges Carry an ‘Aggravated’ Label
Under Michigan Compiled Laws Section 750.145c, child sexually abusive activity charges are legally elevated to aggravated status when material depicts prepubescent children, involves sadomasochistic abuse or bestiality, or exceeds 100 images or a single video, according to the Barone Defense Firm. The volume and nature of the files allegedly found on Grosh's phone is what pushed his charges into that aggravated category.
Each aggravated count is punishable by up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000, per the article. The computer-crime counts carry their own weight: under Michigan Compiled Laws Section 752.797(3)(f), using a computer to commit a crime is punishable by up to 20 years in prison when the underlying felony carries a sentence of 20 years or more, according to the Michigan Legislature. Each of Grosh's three computer-use counts also carries a fine of up to $20,000, the outlet reports.
Prosecutor Calls Defendant ‘Complicit in the Abuse’
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said every image uncovered represents unspeakable abuse of young children, and that Grosh's alleged activity makes him complicit in that abuse. McDonald oversees criminal prosecutions across all 62 cities, villages, and townships in Oakland County and maintains dedicated special victims units for child exploitation cases, as Hoodline has previously reported.
Grosh's next court appearance is a probable cause conference scheduled for October 6 at the 52-3 District Court, located at 700 Barclay Circle in Rochester Hills, according to the same report. That court handles felony arraignments and preliminary examinations for 11 municipalities across northeast Oakland County, including Auburn Hills, per the Randa Lawyers legal blog. Michigan procedural rules require felony cases to progress from arraignment to a probable cause conference within roughly one to two weeks, followed by a preliminary examination, according to Bondy Law. A preliminary exam determines whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bind a case over for trial, and Grosh's is set for October 13.
A Pattern Across Southeast Michigan
Grosh's case is not an isolated one in the region. In July, Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit officers executed a similar digital search warrant in Canton, charging a 32-year-old suspect with combined counts of aggravated child sexually abusive activity and computer-use felonies following a multi-agency device review, according to the State of Michigan. Statewide, the Michigan State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force reported that 2024 digital exploitation investigations resulted in 145 arrests, 16 hands-on offender apprehensions, and the identification of 46 new child victims.
It remains unclear what link, if any, Grosh had to the original embezzlement matter that prompted the search, and whether additional devices were seized from his Wixom residence. Those questions, along with the outcome of next month's court proceedings, are expected to come into focus as the case moves through the 52-3 District Court toward a potential bindover to Oakland County Circuit Court.
