A former police officer who once served in Michigan and Florida is now a convicted sex offender after a GHOST sting in Genesee County. Investigators say Jeffrey David Morningstar, 61, was caught in 2024 when he tried to pay $125 to have sex with what he believed was a 15 year old girl. The “teen” turned out to be a decoy set up by undercover officers.
In an official police statement, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said Morningstar’s intent was undeniable. “When Morningstar answered the call of our sting, he responded because a trafficker was selling a 15-year-old,” Swanson said. “He wanted to pay the trafficker $125 to have sex, and an extra $25 for the young victim to urinate on him.”
Morningstar, who previously worked for departments in Detroit, Millington, Clio and as a sergeant in Longboat Key Florida, pleaded guilty in August to using a computer to commit a crime. More serious charges of child sexually abusive activity and accosting a child for immoral purposes were dropped as part of the plea deal. His conviction requires him to register as a sex offender twice a year for the next 25 years.
Under Michigan law the charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $5,000 with no minimum sentence required. Morningstar will be sentenced on October 3, 2025, at 9 a.m. when a judge will decide how much time he will serve.
