A 36-year-old Dearborn man who traveled to a Frankenmuth waterpark hotel to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl has pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor counts of distributing obscene material to children, avoiding four felony charges, two of which carried maximums of up to 20 years in prison. Shah Hussain entered his pleas on Monday, October 5, 2026, in Saginaw County Circuit Court.
From Felony Counts to a Misdemeanor Deal
Hussain's case began after a vigilante predator-catching group lured him to Zehnder's Splash Village in July 2025, as detailed by MLive. He originally faced four criminal charges: one count of child sexually abusive activity, one count of using a computer to commit a crime punishable by up to 20 years, one count of using a computer to commit a crime punishable by up to four years, and one count of accosting children for immoral purposes. No actual minors were involved in the case, per the same account. Under the plea deal, Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor John K. Kauten agreed to dismiss those four charges.
Saginaw County Circuit Judge Andre R. Borrello presided over the plea hearing and relied on a transcript from January's preliminary examination to establish a factual basis for the pleas, the report states. The misdemeanor charge Hussain pleaded to is punishable by up to two years' incarceration, but his advisory sentencing guidelines are calculated at zero to 11 months.
Why a No-Contest Plea Instead of Guilty
A no-contest plea may be chosen instead of a guilty plea because of potential civil liability. Under Michigan criminal procedure, a no-contest plea allows a defendant to be convicted and sentenced without an explicit admission of guilt on the court record, which keeps the plea from being introduced as direct evidence in future civil litigation, according to the Michigan Legal Blog. Under Michigan compiled laws MCL 722.675, a conviction for distributing sexually explicit matter to a minor is a felony and does not trigger mandatory registration on the state's Sex Offender Registry, unlike the child sexually abusive activity count that was dropped, according to Blank Law PC.
How the Sting Unfolded at the Waterpark
The sting involved a decoy profile on the dating app Kinkd posing as an 18-year-old Minnesotan named Emily, even though Kinkd requires users to be 18 or older. Hussain traveled to Zehnder's Splash Village to meet someone he believed was 15.
Zehnder's Splash Village is a 50,000-square-foot indoor waterpark hotel with 178 guest rooms that draws families to the Bavarian-themed tourist town, according to Zehnder's of Frankenmuth.
Who Is Skeeter Jean?
Skeeter Jean is a Michigan native and lead singer of death metal band Scar Woven, according to Wikitubia.
