U of M report shows why child porn found on hospital computer was not immediately reported to police

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) - A delay in reporting child pornography meant an accused medical student was still practicing medicine at the University of Michigan Health System because someone failed to report the incident right away to police.

36-year-old Stephen Jenson treated children at the University of Michigan Health System for six months, even after a fellow resident found a hard drive with child pornography believed to be his in a hospital computer. 

Today university officials released their findings in a new report as to why the incident was not immediately reported to campus police. 

In statement to 7 Action News, U of M President Mary Sue Coleman said:

“This was a serious failure on the part of our institution-there is simply no other way to describe it.”

U of M conducted an investigation into the matter and the result is a 16 page report that states an attorney with the Health Systems legal office decided to do their own investigation and that is why the breakdown occurred and there was a lag in reporting the incident.

“It should have been turned over to police immediately,” said U of M spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald said the lead attorney has since severed ties with U of M, but not because of the investigation, an investigation that almost never happened.  The resident who initially found the hard drive reported the incident again, this time to a different department after being afraid of another Penn State cover up.  The second investigation led to Jenson being arrested and charged with four counts of possessing child porn after university police say they found child pornographic materials on his home computer.  Each felony carries up to four years in prison.

“We’ve had no indication, no evidence at all that this was anything more than photographs that he got from some outside sources.  It has nothing to do with patients at the Health System whatsoever,” said Fitzgerald.

The U of M report cites several new steps and procedures for the health system to follow when reporting a crime to make sure it lands in the hands of police.

Jenson he has been terminated from the hospital and will be in court again February 16.