DETROIT – Three men — a doctor, an attorney, and a therapist — from Oakland and Wayne counties are involved in a web of child pornography chats, and some sexually abused young boys, according to federal officials.

The investigation into the men began after the FBI arrested a man in Toledo who had communicated with an undercover agent posing as a parent.

The man was arrested in March after traveling to Toledo in an attempt to sexually abuse a 7-year-old girl and a 6-month-old baby he believed existed.

Text messages found during the investigation revealed that all four men spoke casually about wanting to sexually abuse children, including those as young as 4 years old.

Jeremy Brian Tacon

During the investigation, agents reviewed chat conversations between Huntington Woods resident Jeremy Brian Tacon and the Toledo suspect, which reportedly included discussions expressing sexual interest in children and requests for additional child pornography.

One alleged text message to Tacon read, “Whatcha wanna see pedo?”

After Tacon responded, he reportedly received at least a dozen videos containing child sexual abuse material.

The Toledo suspect allegedly texted Tacon, “Wish we could find a kiddo and have our way together. Take him to a hotel and [explicit].”

“F*** yes brother,” Tacon reportedly sent back.

In November, the FBI executed a search warrant at Tacon’s home and seized his phone. When agents called the phone number linked to the text messages, Tacon’s phone rang.

Tacon was a licensed psychotherapist who worked at the Arbor Wellness Center.

In a statement, Arbor Wellness Center wrote, “Our first priority was, as always, ensuring client safety and continuity of care. There is no indication that these charges are related to the agency or its clients.

Mr. Tacon was an independent contractor on a limited contract and is no longer a part of the agency.”

Joshua Ronnebaum

Another man who allegedly had been texting with the Toledo suspect was Detroiter Joshua Ronnebaum.

From June 2022 to July 2023, the two men allegedly spoke about their shared interest in sexually abusing children. The Toledo suspect reportedly said he met up with Ronnebaum to do drugs, have sex and watch child sexually abusive materials.

Ronnebaum reportedly told the suspect he lived in a Detroit mansion with three other men, one of whom is also under FBI investigation.

Ronnebaum is a prominent attorney in Detroit who also reportedly served on the Palmer Woods Association Board of Directors. He practices environmental and immigration law.

Two neighbors Local 4 spoke with said they frequently interacted with Ronnebaum due to his position on the board. They said they weren’t surprised to hear about the allegations and that they were aware of all of it, stating it felt like Ronnebaum was pushing a personal agenda.

A search warrant was executed in November on the home and seized 38 media storage devices, including an iPhone that was allegedly on the nightstand next to Ronnebaum’s bed.

The iPhone’s screen was reportedly on and was displaying a prompt asking if the user wanted to confirm they wanted to delete the Telegram app.

Telegram is an encrypted messaging app, authorities said is frequently used in the distribution of sexually abusive materials.

Authorities believe Ronnebaum tried to delete Telegram when he realized the FBI was searching his home.

Another iPhone found in his closet reportedly contained more than 150 images meeting the federal definition of child pornography, including images of infants and toddlers being sexually abused.

Text messages reportedly found on Ronnebaum’s phone, where he spoke about being an English teacher in Japan and abusing a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old boy.

He allegedly shared that story with several people.

Lincoln Erickson

One of the conversations found on Ronnebaum’s phone was allegedly between him and Farmington Hills resident Lincoln Erickson.

Erickson is a physical rehabilitation doctor who graduated from Wayne State University and worked with the Detroit Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan. He has since been fired from his position.

“The individual in question has been terminated from the joint WSU-DMC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program,” read a statement from Detroit Medical Center.

Erickson and Ronnebaum allegedly spoke about wanting to travel to Thailand and sexually abusing children together.

“Love being a pedo,” read one text message.

Erickson reportedly shared a fantasy about having a relationship with a man where they would raise a child together that they would abuse and groom “from baby to adulthood.”

“Start them young,” read one message.

The FBI said Erickson reportedly shared in messages that he knows a father who allows him to abuse his 3-year-old son sexually.

Erickson was arrested at a Detroit hospital where he worked as a medical resident. During the arrest, he reportedly admitted to receiving child pornography he believed was AI-generated from a man in Chicago.

In a search of Erickson’s phone, a Telegram chat was found where he reportedly asked another man to share videos with him.

“Bro, I love other pedophiles,” he allegedly told the man. “So hot.”

Authorities said Erickson is currently on probation for a 2024 domestic violence case.

All three men — Tacon, Ronnebaum, and Erickson — are now facing federal charges related to possession and distribution of child pornography.

Ronnebaum and Erickson are expected to appear in court Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 1 p.m.

Parents, caregivers, and teachers can receive guidance on safeguarding children from online and offline dangers, including child abductions and sexual exploitation.

To report online child sexual exploitation, use the Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678, operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in collaboration with the FBI and other agencies.

Inglewood, Calif. — Despite all the errors and issues facing them this season, the Detroit Lions entered Sunday relying on one reassuring truth: They controlled their own destiny for a spot in the postseason.

Following a 41-34 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, that is no longer the case.

The Lions will now not only have to win their remaining games in the regular season, but also get some help from other teams as they hope to jump the San Francisco 49ers (10-4), Chicago Bears (10-4) or Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) for one of the NFC’s top seven seeds.

Detroit’s best path to the playoffs remains finishing better than the Bears, who host the Lions in Week 18. The Lions, with a win in the finale, could secure a tiebreaker over Chicago. Put simply: If the Bears lose one of their next two contests (vs. the Packers and at the 49ers) and Detroit wins out, the Lions would bounce them from the playoffs.

“We’ve got to take it one week at time, that’s the biggest thing. … Don’t look too far ahead, don’t start counting games (or) looking at teams,” said receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 164 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams. “Just focus on the task at hand, the team we’ve got up. Put all your energy into that and take it one week at a time.”

Next up for the Lions is a home tilt with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who play the Miami Dolphins on Monday. Following that will be road tests at the Minnesota Vikings and Bears. The Lions were upset by Minnesota in Week 9 but smoked Chicago in Week 2, though the Bears have won all but two of their games since.

Sunday’s result in Los Angeles doesn’t change the already heightened level of urgency the team had heading into the game, linebacker Jack Campbell said: “Every game in the NFL, you’ve got to be urgent. You’ve got win every single game. That’s what it comes down to, and we haven’t been doing that. We put ourselves in this position. … I feel like every guy in this locker room’s been urgent since we showed up (for training camp).”

Dan Campbell’s Lions have been praised for their resolve over the last handful of years. They showed it last season, when they marched to 15 wins in spite of being the NFL’s most injured team. They’ll need that quality over the next three weeks — they haven’t won consecutive games since Week 5 — in addition to some luck.

“I believe in the guys on this team (and) the character of the players on this team, our captains, the core of it. … I know we can do it. These players know we can do it,” Campbell said. “You go back to work, man. I don’t believe for one second anybody’s lost confidence. … We’ve got three to go here. We don’t control our own destiny, but we need to win these three, and it starts with Pittsburgh at home.”

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

The Detroit Lions needed some help from an AFC rival to improve their playoff odds before their Week 15 matchup, but they didn’t get the outcome they desired.

The Lions (8-5, 3rd in NFC North) are facing off against the NFC’s top-seeded Los Angeles Rams (10-3, 1st in NFC West) on Sunday, Dec. 14, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. As the NFC’s No. 8 seed, the Lions entered the day with a 54% chance to make the playoffs per NFL Next Gen Stats, but those odds fell with the result in Chicago.

With the No. 7-seeded Chicago Bears hosting the 3-10 Cleveland Browns, Lions fans were hoping for a Browns upset to drop the Bears to 9-5 and allow the Lions to move into a playoff position with a win, since a 9-5 Lions team would own a tiebreaker over Chicago (thanks to their Week 2 victory). However, the Bears took care of business on a frigid day at Soldier Field, beating the Browns, 31-3, to improve to 10-4.

FOLLOW ALONG: Lions vs Rams live updates: Start time, TV channel for Week 15 game

With the Bears beating the Browns, the Lions playoff odds have now lowered to 52% ahead of their game against the Rams (4:25 p.m., Fox). Here’s a look at what the rest of the NFC playoff picture looks like, including how a Lions win can help improve their position.

Lions playoff scenarios

Here’s the latest info on how the Lions can make it into the NFL playoffs, how they could miss out and what their playoff odds are.

What are Lions’ odds to make NFL playoffs?

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Lions have a 52% chance of making the playoffs. If they beat the Rams, they will have a 73% chance to make the postseason, but those odds drop to 40% with a loss.

NFC playoff standings

Only the top seven teams make the playoffs in each conference. Here are the NFC standings entering the Lions Week 15 game against the Rams, with playoff odds from NFL Next Gen Stats:

1. Rams: 10-3, 97%
2. Packers: 9-3-1, 92%
3. Eagles: 9-5, 95%
4. Panthers: 7-6, 47%
5. Seahawks: 10-3, 97%
6. Bears, 10-4, 68%
7. 49ers: 9-4, 93%
8. *Lions: 8-5, 52%
9. *Buccaneers: 7-7, 54%
10. *Cowboys: 6-6-1, 8%