A Copper City man received a three-day jail sentence Monday after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material discovered by contractors cleaning a repossessed home.
Kurt Jason Palosaari, 48, was sentenced in 12th Circuit Court to serve three days in jail with credit for time served. He also received five years of probation and must register as a sex offender in Michigan’s database.
The case began in April 2024 when contractors cleaning a repossessed residence in Calumet discovered 40 pages of printed images depicting naked young girls. The contractor immediately called 911 to report the discovery.
According to a Houghton County Sheriff’s Office investigation report dated April 29, 2024, Officer Randell found the photos scattered on printer paper in an upstairs room. Several images included URL links, while others contained the phrase “Pure-nudism”. Beneath the photos, officers found educational materials bearing Palosaari’s name, illegible handwritten poetry and a magazine addressed to him.
The following day, contractors discovered additional evidence in an outbuilding marked “Kurt’s Shack.” The sheriff’s office seized more than 200 additional printed pages containing photos of young girls and boys, some containing images of adults. The investigation report notes the pages were attached with dates between 2011 and 2015.
The Houghton County prosecutor notes, not all of the images seized rose to the legal definition of child sexual abuse material. Out of the more than 200 pages seized, 100 pages included photos that met the definition of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
On May 2, 2024, deputies executed a search warrant at Palosaari’s Copper City residence, seizing two tablets and a laptop. The devices were returned to Palosaari in August 2024 after investigators found no additional evidence.
During a police interview the same day as the search, Palosaari admitted he found the images on a “pure-nudism” website and acknowledged printing the photos was wrong.
“I’m guilty,” he told investigators.
Houghton County Prosecutor Dan Helmer said he understands public concern about the sentence length.
“Incarceration, or lack thereof, was not part of the plea agreement,” Helmer said. “All felonies in Michigan must be sentenced using the Michigan Sentencing Guidelines, which were created by the Michigan legislature. In Mr. Palosaari’s specific case, those guidelines did not allow for a jail sentence and the Court is required to follow them.”
Helmer added this case reflects a broader pattern in the county.
“This isn’t the first child sexually abusive material case we have had in Houghton County that did not get jail time, and unless the legislature modifies the sentencing guidelines, it will not be the last,” he said.
Palosaari was originally arrested in 2024 on three charges of possession of child sexual abuse material.
