Friday morning, Chief Meteorologist Mike Davis appeared in court with his attorney.
Davis' attorney, Terry Sherman, argued that 'his client had been a pillar of the community for many years and wasn’t a risk to anyone.' Attesting that "production is not an issue" in this case, he added that, “We have him under control, we are getting him counseling, we are trying to right some of the things that have happened.”
Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Eileen Paley had initially set his bail at $50,000 for both a surety bond and a recognizance bond. During the hearing this morning though, Judge Paley reduced the bonds to $25,000 each. She added the stipulations though, that Davis not be allowed any unsupervised contact with children, and not be allowed internet access, including on his phone. Additionally, he must surrender his passport.
Davis, who has worked with 10TV for 31 years, was arrested Thursday morning in his Upper Arlington home when police showed up with a search warrants. During the search, electronics including laptops, tablets and a cell phone were confiscated. Additional electronics were retrieved from his place of employment.
“Once these cases really rise to the level of search warrant or arrest warrant, for the most part, we have established a pattern of behavior,” Chief Deputy Minerd said in a news conference Thursday afternoon. He added, "These are sensitive cases and obviously when we see somebody of this stature in the community who is as well-known as Mike is, we treat these carefully – we know the impact it’s going to have in the community. That people are shocked. But it’s a reminder that these types of cases span across all professions.”
According to statements made during the briefing, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force received a tip two weeks ago and had worked since to follow up on that investigation. They would not provide many details, but said that the case concerning Davis does not deal with a single image, but rather, it involved sending and receiving a "significant number of images." It is said that the investigation deals with thousands of images dating back several years.
Davis is currently charged with one count of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, a second-degree felony relating to a specific image sent or received around August 5th showing a prepubescent girl engaging in a sexual act. More charges will likely be added as the investigation continues.