A Birch Run man pleaded no contest to several felonies on Friday after photographing his 16-year-old stepdaughter while she was in intimate contact with her boyfriend and concealing a camera in her bathroom.
Kent Kalenak, 44, accepted a plea bargain in Midland County Circuit Court on Friday via Zoom from the Midland County Jail before Judge Stephen Carras.
He pleaded guilty to capturing and distributing an image of an unclothed person, two counts of possessing child sexually abusive material, distributing sexually explicit, visual or verbal material to children, and three counts of using computers to commit a crime.
In exchange for his plea, a felony charge of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material was dropped.
Kalenak’s sentencing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 10.
Midland County Assistant Chief Prosecutor Atea Duso stated that between January and May 2024, Kalenak sent images of the victim to his phone and recorded video calls between the girl and her boyfriend. Some of the images were stills saved on Kalenak’s phone. Investigators also discovered a hidden camera in the victim’s bathroom.
The Michigan State Police fugitive team and the Saginaw County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Kalenak on a Midland police warrant on September 3. He had been held on a $200,000 cash/surety bond until Friday, when it was revoked.
