Hunter Trepanier, an 18-year-old from Gwinn, Michigan, was arrested in August 2023 during a multi-agency undercover sting in Forsyth Township and charged with four felonies after allegedly attempting to meet someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy. The Hunter Trepanier case drew unusual attention because journalist Chris Hansen was embedded with law enforcement and filmed the arrest for his streaming series Takedown with Chris Hansen.1Radio Results Network. Hansen Responds to Recent Viewer Backlash, Previews Thursdays Episode Trepanier was the youngest of seven men arrested in the operation.2Upper Michigan’s Source. 7 Charged With Child Sexually Abusive Activity After Multi-Agency Undercover Operation in Forsyth Township
The Four Felony Charges
The Marquette County Prosecutor’s Office charged Trepanier with the same four felonies filed against every man arrested in the sting:2Upper Michigan’s Source. 7 Charged With Child Sexually Abusive Activity After Multi-Agency Undercover Operation in Forsyth Township
- Child sexually abusive activity, a 20-year felony under MCL 750.145c.
- Using a computer to commit a crime, a 20-year felony under MCL 750.145d.
- A second computer-crime count carrying up to 7 years.
- Accosting a child for immoral purposes, a 4-year felony.
MCL 750.145c defines “child” as anyone under 18, which is higher than Michigan’s general age of consent of 16 for most criminal sexual conduct offenses.3Michigan Courts. Introduction to Offenses Involving Child Sexually Abusive Activity or Child Sexually Abusive Material The computer-crime statute, MCL 750.145d, does not require a conviction on the underlying offense, and Michigan courts have held in People v. Adkins (2006) that it applies even when the “minor” is actually an undercover officer.4Michigan Courts. Internet and Computer Solicitation Sentences for computer-crime counts can run consecutively with any sentence for the underlying offense, and most violations involving minors also trigger sex offender registration.
Investigators say Trepanier communicated online with a person he believed to be 15 and then traveled to the sting location to meet them.5WNMU FM. Several Suspects Nabbed in Forsyth Township Sting Arraigned He was arraigned in the 96th District Court in August 2023.6Mining Journal. Police Sting Operation Results in 7 Arrests on Sex Charges; 4 Arraigned in District Court
How the Sting Worked
The operation ran August 17 through August 20, 2023, in Forsyth Township, led by the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office with help from the Michigan State Police, the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (GHOST), the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team, and the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center.6Mining Journal. Police Sting Operation Results in 7 Arrests on Sex Charges; 4 Arraigned in District Court A female officer used dating apps and prostitution platforms to pose as a 15-year-old, chatting with suspects and directing them to a location where officers were waiting.7Upper Michigan’s Source. Crime Journalist Chris Hansen, Marquette Police Weigh 3-Day Child Sex Crime Sting Operation
Hansen and a TruBlu crew filmed on-site, and Hansen confronted suspects as they arrived. He said he had come to Marquette County to report on the Jordan DeMay sextortion case, a separate matter involving a local teenager who died by suicide in 2022 after being targeted by Nigerian scammers, and got involved in the sting from there.8Radio Results Network. Hansen Producing Documentary on Jordan DeMay Sextortion Case Detective Captain Gregory Kinonen of the Marquette Police Department called the collaboration a “good training and learning opportunity.”7Upper Michigan’s Source. Crime Journalist Chris Hansen, Marquette Police Weigh 3-Day Child Sex Crime Sting Operation One Takedown episode featured Trepanier’s arrest and identified him as a suspect who allegedly tried to meet a 15-year-old boy.1Radio Results Network. Hansen Responds to Recent Viewer Backlash, Previews Thursdays Episode
Where the Case Stands
The available reporting does not show a final disposition in Trepanier’s case. There is no public record of a plea, conviction, acquittal, or dismissal for him specifically. The next major legal development that could affect him is not in his own courtroom but at the Michigan Supreme Court.
The Entrapment Question in People v. Jade
In People v. Jayneel Ravindra Jade (Docket No. 167920), the Michigan Supreme Court is weighing whether the tactics used in online stings like the one that caught Trepanier amount to entrapment. The defendant in Jade argues that an adult decoy who later claimed to be 15 induced him to arrange a meeting for sex when he otherwise would not have.9WNEM. Michigan Supreme Court Case Could Change Child Predator Sting Tactics The Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan filed a brief calling the GHOST task force’s methods an “underhanded bait-and-switch” that manufactures criminal intent.10Michigan Courts. CDAM Amicus Curiae Brief in People v. Jade
A decision is expected before the court’s session ends in July 2026.9WNEM. Michigan Supreme Court Case Could Change Child Predator Sting Tactics Proceedings in at least two other Marquette County sting cases have already been stayed pending the ruling, and other cases around Michigan are being held in abeyance.11Upper Michigan’s Source. Joint Sting Operation to Combat Human Trafficking, Child Prostitution in UP Leads to 5 Arrests Jade arose from a different operation, not the August 2023 Forsyth Township sting. But a ruling that expands the entrapment defense for online stings using GHOST-style tactics could give defendants like Trepanier grounds to challenge their charges.