By: Mary Beth Almond | C&G Newspapers | Published September 16, 2025
SHELBY TOWNSHIP/ROCHESTER HILLS — An Oakland County jury cleared a Shelby Township man of multiple felony charges related to an underage sex sting operation that occurred over three years ago.
On Sept. 9, Jeremy Stewart Coder, 31, was found not guilty of the crimes he was charged with — two counts of using a computer to commit a crime, including one punishable by up to life in prison; accosting a minor for immoral purposes; and child sexually abusive material.
Coder was arrested outside a Rochester Hills motel in June 2022 for allegedly attempting to meet up with a minor as part of a sex sting orchestrated by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
Text messages between Coder and an undercover officer presented as evidence indicated Coder initially thought he was meeting a 19-year-old for sex. However, the undercover officer later stated an age of 15 years old.
During the trial, Coder, who pleaded not guilty, testified he never saw the messages about the younger age.
Coder’s attorney, Karen McDonald Lopez, said her client was unaware of any 15-year-old.
“The jury absolutely reached the right result, because he was not guilty of any of the charges, and he had been living with these charges for over three years,” she explained.
Lopez said the case was dismissed without prejudice in April 2024 because of witness availability, and then the charges were reauthorized in February.
Coder, Lopez stated, has had to defend against these charges for more than three years.
“He’s very relieved to finally be cleared, that he’s not guilty of any of those crimes that he was charged with,” she said.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment.