It’s a West Michigan story being quietly kept from the media: now former Michigan DOC Officer Sixto Herrera of Ionia County Michigan’s Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility (MTU) faces sentencing on charges for viewing child sexually abusive material on DOC computers… on taxpayer time.
Sources reveal Herrera was recently dismissed after his hearing; Clutch now has a pending FOIA request into the matter.
Clutch Justice is First to Report
Stemming from an August 17, 2024 incident, Herrera appeared in court on June 3, 2025 for a plea hearing, where he plead guilty to MCL 750.145C, 4-A1:
A person who knowingly possesses or knowingly seeks and accesses any child sexually abusive material if that person knows, has reason to know, or should reasonably be expected to know the child is a child or that the child sexually abusive material includes a child or that the depiction constituting the child sexually abusive material appears to include a child, or that person has not taken reasonable precautions to determine the age of the child is guilty of a crime as follows:
(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) and section 145g, the person is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 4 years or a fine of not more than $10,000.00, or both.
The charge of “using computers to commit a crime” punishable for up to 10 years in prison, was dismissed presumably as part of the plea.
Herrera was highlighted as a new DOC hire in the October 2016 issue of Corrections Connection, working just shy of a decade at the time of incident.
From the charges, we can deduce a Michigan DOC computer technician discovered the misconduct and reported it.
Body Worn Cameras only recently went into effect in Michigan, but Herrera’s act may still have been captured by in-unit cameras and would definitely be captured through internet use history.
Michigan DOC’s Continued Mismanagement of Resources
Sources also tell me this is a more horrific example of the blatant abuse of power carried out by corrections officers on DOC computers; watching movies, surfing the web, doing anything except what they’re supposed to be doing: supervising incarcerated individuals.
In fact, MTU has received warnings over its non-business related internet use by corrections staff, and the misuse of state computers continues.
Left to Michigan DOC and Ionia County, Michigan DOC Staff’s inappropriate internet usage, as well as the details of Herrera’s case, have been completely absent from media coverage.
Why Isn’t Michigan DOC Talking About This?
This isn’t small potatoes; a former Michigan Department of Corrections officer has been charged with viewing abusive child materials — while on duty, using taxpayer-funded equipment.
But here’s what’s even more disturbing:
The Michigan DOC isn’t making noise about it. No public statements. No internal review announcements. No system-wide audit disclosures.
Ask yourself: Why the silence?
Could it be that a full-scale investigation into internet activity across DOC staff devices might uncover more? Is this case just the tip of the iceberg?
When a public employee is caught engaging in this kind of activity on state-owned devices, on the clock, the public deserves answers. Not whispers.
This raises urgent questions:
- Are other officers being investigated?
- How long has this behavior gone unnoticed — or unreported?
- What safeguards were in place, and why did they fail?
And most importantly: What else is happening behind prison walls and closed firewalls?
Clutch can answer at least one of those questions: sources explain that at one time, MDOC did have Surfsafe on its machines; it was removed several years ago and never replaced.
My best guess, is the case is being kept quiet to deter Federal investigation of the problem, preventing the opening of Pandora’s Box.
As a result, this cannot be treated as a one-off incident. It demands federal scrutiny, independent audits, and a transparent accounting of how this was allowed to happen in the first place.
The good corrections officers, the ones who care about humanity and looking out for people, have a responsibility to speak up and end this madness.
State Elected Officials Connected to Financial DOC Support
According to campaign finance records, both Michigan State Senator Rick Outman and House Representative Gina Johnsen accepted funding for their campaigns from Corrections or Police-related groups. Outman in particular accepted $2,000 from the Michigan Corrections PAC.
As a side note: Johnsen also accepted contributions from the Chatfields and Heather Lombardini, both currently under investigation for campaign finance related activities by the Michigan Attorney General.
Michigan DOC also operates not one, but two facilities in the area, creating multiple jobs for Ionia County, giving them incentive to keep the situation under wraps.
The Misconduct Road So Far
Michigan DOC has been, and continues to be, a hot bed of misconduct.
Consider these stories:
- Not one, but two Ionia County facilities falsifying records
- DOC Training Officer Casey Wagner terrorizing his elderly neighbor with explosions (also deeply connected to Eaton County Politics and Representative Gina Johnsen, more on that soon).
- A long, long history of drug smuggling by COs
- A sex scandal carried out by a former Spokesman.
This is another event in a long, long line of bad behavior that proves Michigan DOC is unfit to police itself. The situation stresses the immediate and pressing need for a Corrections Ombudsman.
SB156 was recently passed in the Michigan Senate, and will return to the house for vote.
Clutch will continue to follow the story and report on Herrera’s Sentencing. He remains in custody at the Ionia County Jail.
