Sex offender picked up for probation violation after Fox 2 story - KMSP-TV

"My sexual orientation ... just for someone being gay.  It's what makes absolutely no sense to me," Thomas Nierman said on Thursday.

What a difference a day makes.  A man who went out of his way to show us his scars, Nierman claimed he was attacked with a knife and slurs were hurled at his face all because he was gay.

Friday, Nierman was a little more camera shy than Thursday.  Michigan State Police had been looking for him.  The 23-year-old is a sex offender who allegedly did not register at his new address in Detroit.  His 2008 criminal sexual conduct conviction involved a person under the age of 13, a conviction that requires him to report as a sex offender everywhere he moves.

We're told he also violated his probation in Macomb County.  Fox 2 cameras were on hand as Nierman was brought into the sheriff's department jail.

"He's required to provide certain information on a quarterly basis.  He was recently locked up in jail and didn't have all his information up-to-date, so a warrant for a probation violation was issued," said Michigan State Police Trooper Craig Tuer.

The phone started ringing off the hook at Fox 2 as people were watching Andrea Isom's report.  They recognized Nierman from the Sex Offender Registry, and so did state police.

"Based on the story information ... it's unfortunate this gentleman was a victim of a crime, but at the same time sometimes somebody who's a criminal or has a warrant also are victims of crime, and that's kind of what led us to him, tracked him down and found his current address where he was at," Tuer said.

Now the question that remains is who beat and cut Nierman and why?  Was it really because of his sexual orientation, or was it someone who knew about his criminal background?  That investigation will likely slow down while Nierman deals with his own latest run-in with the law.

It is now possible because he appeared on television and state police were able to nab him that Nierman may end up spending the rest of his probation behind bars.  That's at least another year.  We're told it is also likely that his probation will then be extended even longer.