Man gets jail for sex with teen he met on Grindr

A South Lyon man was sentenced to 60 days in the Livingston County Jail for having sex with a 15-year-old boy he met on a social app targeting gay men.

Cody Hunter Swatling, 18, tearfully apologized to his family, friends and the teen, who is now 16, for the “terrible mistake.”

“I didn’t mean any harm,” he said. “I liked (the complainant) and cared about him. … I wanted to introduce him to my parents.”

Swatling was sentenced to three years of probation with the first 60 days in the county jail. He also was ordered to spend six months on electronic monitoring following his release from jail.

Swatling was sentenced under the state’s Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which means he would not have a public criminal record if he successfully completes probation.

In entering his plea, Swatling admitted that he and the Livingston County teen had sex at least two times in January. He also acknowledged he communicated with the teen via a computer and had nude photographs of the teen.

Swatling’s attorney, Mark Gatesman, asked the judge not to give his client a jail term. He argued there were three other men who met the same teen, who sought men on the app Grindr, for encounters.

Gatesman noted that the age difference between his client and the complainant was far less than the other three men, who also were charged for the alleged sexual encounters with the teen.

“Although unlawful, there are many relationships in high schools throughout the country and in this county of 18-year-olds and 15-year-olds,” he said.

Michigan law says the legal age of consent is 16.

Three other men are also faces felony charges and their cases are pending in court.

The alleged encounters occurred in January and March and were reported by a family member of the complainant, who resides in the Brighton area. How the relative learned what happened was not disclosed.

The men allegedly picked up the complainant and went to undisclosed locations to have sex. Police said "all of the incidents but one" occurred in Livingston County.

Grindr describes itself as a "gay iPhone app" where men can find "local gay, bi and curious guys for dating or friends."

Contact Livingston Daily justice reporter Lisa Roose-Church at 517-552-2846 or lrchurch@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @LisaRooseChurch.