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Man, 38, accused of meeting with Livonia boy for inappropriate contact

Update: Hoze pleaded guilty to distributing obscene matter to a child on Nov. 25 in circuit court in Wayne County, online records show, and the other two charges were dismissed. He was sentenced the same day by a judge to two years of probation.

A 38-year-old man has been accused of using a dating app to meet with a Livonia, Michigan, boy so he could have inappropriate contact with him, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said on Friday.

Prosecutors allege Jamel Rishard Hoze of Farmington Hills used an online dating app during the night of April 17 to entice the 15-year-old boy to meet him in a "parking structure" on the 37000 block of Six Mile Road. The purpose of the meeting was allegedly to have "inappropriate sexual contact."

He also used a social media app to send inappropriate photos of himself to the boy, prosecutors allege.

Hoze is charged with accosting a minor for immoral purposes, using a computer to commit a crime and distributing sexually explicit matter to a child, court records show. 

A judge set Hoze's bond at $300,000 cash bond. If posted, he will be required to have a GPS tether and cannot have contact with minors. 

"We must be proactive in continuing to educate and communicate with our children about online predators," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a written statement on Friday. "There are real dangers in the online world, and we must make sure they are not sharing personal information with strangers online."

According to court records, a probable cause conference for Hoze is set for Sept. 25, followed by a preliminary examination on Oct. 2.

The prosecutor's office is asking anyone who believes they've been a victim of Hoze to contact their local law enforcement agency.


If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.

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