A Livingston County man facing child pornography charges has until next month to agree to a plea deal or face trial.

31-year-old Kevin Porter of Fowlerville was charged by federal prosecutors in February with production and attempted production of child pornography and enticement of a minor. That followed a raid of his home on Valentine’s Day by the FBI after the mother of a 13-year-old Detroit girl contacted police about an adult male communicating with her daughter both online and through text messages. The mother reportedly found nude images of her daughter that had been sent to the male, later determined to be Porter.

Using the girl’s phone, FBI agents determined Porter had been talking with girl on the TextNow smartphone app which uses Wi-Fi to avoid phone bill records. A check of their conversations indicated Porter had initiated the discussion in which the girl made clear that she was just 13 years old. He then is alleged to have proceeded in pressuring her to meet up for sex and then to send him sexually explicit photos. After authorities say he sent her a naked photo of himself, the girl responded with a nude photo. He continued to pressure into meeting for sex, at one point giving his full name and that he drove a Hyundai. Agents then used Secretary of State records to locate Porter’s residence in Fowlerville.

During the Valentine’s Day raid they found the phone used during the conversation. Court records show that attorneys for Porter and prosecutors have been engaged in negotiations for a possible plea in the case. A cut-off for those talks had originally been set for Monday, but have been extended to July 10th. If convicted, Porter could face up to life in prison. (JK)