DEARBORN HEIGHTS – A 62-year-old Dearborn Heights man has been sentenced to three years of probation after admitting to harboring and sexually exploiting a minor runaway girl last spring.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy had charged Kamal Abou Darwiche with sexual exploitation of a minor, in addition to charges of harboring a minor and providing her with a controlled substance (marijuana), after a 16-year-old runaway girl was found in his apartment in April.

On July 17, Abou Darwiche pleaded guilty to the charges of sexual exploitation and harboring a runaway in exchange for the dismissal of the marijuana charge as part of a plea agreement with the prosecutor’s office.

The girl had run away from the Vista Maria shelter for underage girls in Dearborn Heights on March 14. Her disappearance received widespread attention from local media and the community before she was found on April 23 at Abou Darwiche’s apartment on Inkster Road in Dearborn Heights.

Following her recovery, the girl was placed under the care of Child Protective Services (CPS) and underwent psychological evaluation. Authorities continued to investigate whether she was sexually exploited or trafficked, including the possibility of involvement by other suspects, one of whom was reportedly a former employee at Vista Maria, according to Dearborn Heights police.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the girl lived in Abou Darwiche’s apartment from March 17 to April 23, during which time she was sexually exploited and smoked marijuana with the defendant.

Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmad Haidar stated that although the girl was free to move in and out of the apartment, that did not absolve Abou Darwiche of legal responsibility due to her status as a minor.

In addition to three years of court-supervised probation, the sentence requires that Abou Darwiche be registered as a sex offender in the state of Michigan and barred from having any contact with the girl. The judge also recommended that he undergo a psychological evaluation and treatment, including participation in therapy and counseling sessions for sex offenders.

Abou Darwiche, who is of Lebanese descent, declined to make a statement before the judge announced the sentence during a Zoom hearing held last Friday.