A 57-year-old Waterford man who worked as a Little League baseball umpire is facing federal charges after investigators accused him of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. Kevin Charles Cathcart was arrested in the case and appeared in federal court in Detroit this past week, where a judge ordered him temporarily detained following a detention hearing on Monday.
According to a criminal complaint against Cathcart, as reported by ClickOnDetroit, an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent in March received two videos from a Telegram account displayed under the name “kevin c.” The complaint alleges that the account belonged to Cathcart, a Waterford resident. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Michigan confirmed in a statement that Cathcart appeared in federal court on a criminal complaint alleging he possessed and distributed child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Telegram Videos and an Undercover Exchange
The complaint alleges that videos were sent through the Telegram account.
Cathcart faces federal allegations of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Telegram Account Allegations
Investigators allege that a Telegram account displayed under the name “kevin c” belonged to Cathcart.
To build the case, investigators said they relied on records pulled from Telegram, AT&T, an internet service provider, and Google, linking online accounts and contact information back to Cathcart. Court records show Cathcart faced a magistrate in Detroit on Oct. 16. His preliminary examination is scheduled for Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. in Detroit.
A Pattern Seen Beyond Michigan
Cathcart’s case echoes a recent prosecution in Louisiana, where a softball umpire named Leeroy Sidney Hymel III was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography, according to KPLC-TV. Hymel, who worked as an umpire for a 16-and-under softball tournament, had pleaded guilty on June 30 to receiving child pornography after the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation in May 2024 following a report involving a girl under 15. In that case, a federal prosecutor said predators can turn up anywhere, including on softball fields.
