Jenks Man Starts Investigation That Led In His Arrest, Police Say

Jenks police are investigating a child predator case they say involved 41-year-old man and a 10-year-old girl. The suspect, Michael James Shelby, was arrested Thursday morning, February 15.

Shelby walked into the Jenks Police Department and told them his Wi-Fi, mobile phone and Instagram account had been hacked, court records state. Shelby told officers someone was spreading rumors that he was having inappropriate conversations with a minor girl in Ohio.

Shelby said the rumors were hurting his business and that the girl's mother had contacted him telling him to leave her daughter alone, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Officers said they reached out to the 10-year-old girl's mother in Ohio. Records show she provided screen shots of the conversation between Shelby and her daughter that had taken place over a year.

The texts were sexual in nature, the affidavit says.

Police said the mother also provided screen shots of texts from Shelby where he had apologized for the relationship and told her family he'd never done anything like that before and hadn't touched anyone. 

Jenks Police interviewed Shelby again and said he told them he'd panicked when he received a message from the girl's mother made up the hacking story. The affidavit states Shelby also told police he got caught up in the moment and sometimes he forgot he was talking to a 10-year-old child.

Shelby is charged with a count of making lewd or indecent proposal to a child. He's in the Tulsa County Jail on a $25,000 bond.