Former Michigan Officer Caught in Child Sex Sting Learns His Fate

It’s always heartbreaking when someone who once wore a badge ends up on the wrong side of the law. That’s exactly what happened to 61-year-old Jeffrey Morningstar, a former Clio police officer who will now spend time behind bars after being caught in a Genesee County child sex trafficking sting.

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Morningstar was sentenced to 45 days in jail and five years on probation. He pleaded guilty to one count of using a computer to commit a crime in August, and in return, prosecutors dropped two other serious charges: child sexually abusive activity and accosting a child for immoral purposes.

From Police Badge to Prison Sentence

According to court documents, Morningstar will be required to register as a sex offender in Michigan for the next 25 years. His sentence was handed down by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge David J. Newblatt earlier this month.

Inside the GHOST Operation

Morningstar’s arrest came as part of a 2024 GHOST operation, the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team led by Sheriff Chris Swanson. Investigators say he responded to a sting in Burton, believing he was arranging to pay for sex with a 15-year-old girl. The “trafficker” he spoke with was actually an undercover officer. Swanson said when announcing the arrest:

He started communicating with what he thought was an adult who was selling a child, then he came for that kid.

A Hard Lesson in Accountability

Before this shocking turn, Morningstar had served with several departments, starting with the Detroit Police Department in the 1990s, and later working in Millington, Clio, and Longboat Key, Florida. Swanson said he worked part-time in Clio for about a year and a half.

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Now, a once-trusted officer will spend his next chapter under probation, a registered sex offender, and a reminder that no one is above the law, not even those sworn to enforce it.