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Brent David VanderHaar, a retired City of Saginaw Police Detective who was arrested Nov. 17 on eight felony counts related to child pornography, reacts during his video arraignment on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, at the Flint District Court in Flint, Mich. Danny Miller | MLive.com

FLINT, MI -- A retired Saginaw police detective has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges tied to thousands of images of two children captured inside a Genesee County home.

Brent VanderHaar, 52, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Jan. 24, to possession of child sexually abusive material and using a computer to do crime during a scheduled pretrial hearing in Genesee Circuit Judge Joseph J. Farah's courtroom.

Genesee County assistant prosecuting attorney Gladys Christopherson said the amended charges carry a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison if running concurrently, but the court does hold the option of making it consecutive.

Initially, VanderHaar faced a charge of child sexual abusive activity, which carried a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison. Six additional charges previously filed against VanderHaar, including multiple counts of using a computer to commit a crime, were dropped at the hearing.

VanderHaar was arrested Nov. 17, 2015, after three digital media cards with explicit images were found around two weeks earlier outside a Kawkawlin Township convenience store connected to a McDonald's restaurant.

The store manager viewed images on the card that appeared to be of a minor and contacted police, which led to an investigation by Michigan State Police.



VanderHaar's face also appeared in some images on the device.

He admitted in court to setting up a camera inside a bathroom, capturing photos of two minors, cropping the images on a computer, and placing them on the media cards over a 16-month period from January 2014 through April 2015.

Christopherson noted the victims' family did not wish to move forward with a trial.

VanderHaar faces a March 6 sentencing date.