Ionia, Michigan – from www.mlive.com — A 28-year-old man previously accused of accosting minors as part of a foot fetish today pleaded guilty to violating a school safety zone as a sex offender.
Benjamin Walcott pleaded guilty to the charge today in an Ionia courtroom and will be sentenced June 8.
A judge increased his bond to $25,000 during the hearing.
Grand Rapids District Court Judge David Buter last week dismissed two charges against Walcott of accosting children for immoral purposes, citing a lack of evidence.
State police and the attorney general’s office alleged Walcott, a convicted sex offender, lured two boys younger than 13 to a Grand Rapids office, where he touched, photographed and videotaped their feet.
The charges surrounding the school safety zone involved allegations that Walcott was near Belding High School for a sports camp, when the law says he may not be within 1,000 feet of a school.