A 23-year-old city commissioner in Michigan, who was elected to the city of Adrian last month, stepped down Wednesday after he was charged with “possessing child sexually abusive material.” Devin Stevens reportedly possessed a series of graphic videos showing “male individuals using a urinal.”

Lenawee County Prosecutor Burke Castleberry began investigating Stevens in October after receiving a tip and during a search of his home seized his electronic devices, the Daily Telegram reported.

“The investigation is ongoing and I do expect further arrests,” he told the newspaper, adding the illicit material was contained in one video.

Stevens, who pleaded not guilty to the felony charge and was due back in court on Dec. 21, addressed the allegations when he announced his resignation on Facebook and Twitter Wednesday, saying he had communicated with someone he “believed to be of legal age” prior to taking office. If convicted, Stevens could face up to four years in prison and would have to register himself as a sex offender.

“I later learned that this individual had falsified this information and was in fact seventeen years old,” Stevens wrote in the lengthy post. “During the course of our exchange, this individual sent me a series of graphic videos showing male individuals using a urinal. While I could tell that these videos were clearly taken without consent, I never imagined that the individual behind them would then reveal to me that one of the individuals shown was a minor. After learning this fact, my communication with the individual behind the videos ended.”

Stevens said he never shared the videos with anyone, eventually deleting them.

“Days later this individual was caught attempting to take an additional video, this time of an adult, and when questioned by authorities this individual revealed that he had previously sent videos of similar content to me,” Stevens’ post continued. “This was the beginning of what has become a very trying time in my life, two months that have consisted of incredible regret, disappointment, embarrassment, and uncertainty.”

Stevens then apologized to victims who “were exploited by a clearly troubled individual” and the entirety of Madison Township, as well as his family for his “lapse in judgment.”

“I have always been honest with the people of this city, perhaps too honest, about my life as a young, single, gay man, and I have no regrets about that,” Stevens wrote. “I am comfortable with and confident in who I am as a person and will continue to live my life true to who I am.”

The age of consent in Michigan is 16, but under Michigan law it is illegal to possess explicit images of individuals under 18. The principal of Madison High School said school officials had alerted police to an incident involving a student.

Read Steven's full statement below:

Earlier this year, prior to taking office, I engaged in an exchange that originated on social media and ended via text message with an individual who I believed to be of legal age, and whose date of birth listed on social media affirmed that belief. I later learned that this individual had falsified this information and was in fact seventeen years old.

During the course of our exchange, this individual sent me a series of graphic videos showing male individuals using a urinal. While I could tell that these videos were clearly taken without consent, I never imagined that the individual behind them would then reveal to me that one of the individuals shown was a minor. After learning this fact, my communication with the individual behind the videos ended.

Unfortunately, I did not respond to this exchange as I should have. I knew that I would not share the videos with anyone, which I never did, and that I would never communicate with this individual again. In fact, I even deleted the videos from my phone. I felt that was sufficient, but have now realized that I should have reported it to authorities immediately.

Days later this individual was caught attempting to take an additional video, this time of an adult, and when questioned by authorities this individual revealed that he had previously sent videos of similar content to me. This was the beginning of what has become a very trying time in my life, two months that have consisted of incredible regret, disappointment, embarrassment, and uncertainty.

Following a lengthy investigation, I was informed late last week of the decision made by the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office to pursue a charge related to this incident, and while I don’t believe that the content of the videos in question is truly what it has been classified as in the charge, I respect and appreciate the work of the Michigan State Police, the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department, the Madison Township Police Department, the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office, and all other agencies involved in handling this case.

To those who were exploited by a clearly troubled individual, I am sorry for not standing up for you at the time when you needed it most. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

To the entire Madison family, which I have been proud to be a part of for nearly fifteen years, I am sorry that I have let you down and that I failed to protect members of our family when given the opportunity.

To my family and friends who have endured two of the most stressful months imaginable, I am sorry for the grief I have caused.

To the people of this city, my home, I am sorry for this lapse in judgement.

Many will ask why I am sharing the details of this case with the public, and the answer is simple: You deserve the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. I have always been honest with the people of this city, perhaps too honest, about my life as a young, single, gay man, and I have no regrets about that. I am comfortable with and confident in who I am as a person and will continue to live my life true to who I am.

Unfortunately, the drama surrounding this situation has been fueled by both private individuals and one member of the local media who have spent weeks spreading blatant lies about me and this case, with zero evidence to back them up, because there is none, including claims that I was in a relationship with the individual behind these videos, that I both paid and instructed the individual behind these videos to capture them, and that a video existed of me and a seventeen-year-old engaging in a sexual act. To be clear: I have never engaged in a sexual act with anyone under the legal age of consent or made unwanted physical advances toward anyone. The individuals behind these claims know now and knew then that these were blatant fabrications, completely void of any truth, but chose to spread them anyway. The people of this city deserve better and should demand better, especially of those tasked with reporting the news.

While I know this information is new to most of you, and I respect that fact, I have now had months to process this situation and am ready to put this chapter in my life behind me. This morning that process began, and now, out of respect for the people of the City of Adrian, I am resigning my position on the Adrian City Commission, effective at noon today, December 13, 2017. I have always been committed to doing what is best for our city and its people, and I recognize in this situation that our city cannot afford further distraction, especially in the form of events in the personal life of an elected official. We do and should hold our elected officials to a higher standard, from the Adrian City Commission to the Oval Office.

To those who voted for me, especially those in our city’s LGBT community, thank you from the bottom of my heart. While I am sorry I could not accomplish the goals I set for us, and for the disappointment I have caused you all, the opportunity to run for this office and serve you on this Commission, however short my tenure has been, has been the greatest honor of my life. I will always love you and this city.

All of this said, it is important to remember that this year you voted for change, and real, meaningful change must still come to fruition. Difficult changes in our city’s administration, a commitment to spreading the growth and development we see in Downtown Adrian into our neighborhoods, and making bold moves to secure a sound financial future for our city, must be a priority for those left to serve. This change will only be brought to the City of Adrian if you, the people, insist upon it. Stand up and hold your leaders accountable, always. You deserve the best.

Thank you.

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