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By Michelle Richardson
Special to the AFRO
A former Baltimore County Correctional Officer is facing at least 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sex offenses involving children, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Maryland.
Thomas Michael Mannion, 45, of the 100 block of Bourbon Court in Parkville, rented a basement apartment of a townhome where he lived alone and allegedly met up with a teenage child who he met through a dating app, according to his guilty plea.
Mannion was arrested on May 29, 2019 after a neighbor reported seeing him in bed with a naked 13-year-old.
The neighbor called the homeowner who gave him permission to search the home for an intruder, there he allegedly found Mannion having sex with the 13-year-old.
Mannion was charged with second degree rape, third degree sex offense and other sex offenses according to online court records.
In a federal indictment filed recently authorities charged Mannion with six federal counts of production, distribution, and possession of child pornography.
Authorities said Mannion started talking to the child months before meeting up on Grindr, a dating app targeted at members of the LGBTQ community.
In April 2019, Mannion confessed to a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old at the child’s home. The two also met through Grindr.
In a plea agreement, Mannion said he met with several other minors who he found on the same dating site even after the minors told him their age. Mannion discussed his sexual interest in children that he knew or had contact with while talking with users of the application.
Mannion was fired from the Baltimore County Department of Corrections after he was charged. He is currently held without bond at the Howard County Department of Corrections
U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher scheduled Mannion’s sentencing for June 16, 2020 at 10 a.m.
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