MICHIGAN
Central Michigan Life
By Sydney Smith
A therapist who has sex with a client could lose their license. The same goes for a doctor who has sex with a patient.
In some states, it’s illegal for a priest to have sex with a parishioner. Michigan is not one of these states.
In June 2015, former St. Mary’s University Parish priest Denis Heames was placed on leave for “boundary violations” related to his priestly conduct, said Bishop Joseph Cistone of the Saginaw Diocese.
A complaint about Heames by a Central Michigan University faculty member launched an internal investigation, which found Heames sexually harassed DeWitt senior Megan Winans before and during her time as a parishioner and media intern for the church.
Winans filed a civil lawsuit in Isabella County Court in January against Heames, his spiritual director Trudy McCaffrey, St. Mary’s and the diocese.
Heames’ status as a priest is unclear, as is his affiliation with the Diocese of Saginaw. Central Michigan Life asked for this information multiple times, but the diocese declined to comment. Heames has not responded.
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