SAGINAW (MI)
Saginaw News
March 26, 2019
By Cole Waterman
A Catholic priest in Saginaw County has pleaded no contest to a sexual assault charge and two other charges, avoiding a second trial scheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 26.
The Rev. Robert J. “Father Bob” DeLand appeared Tuesday before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Darnell Jackson and pleaded no contest to three charges – second-degree criminal sexual conduct, gross indecency between two males, and manufacturing or distributing an imitation controlled substance. The most serious charge is second-degree criminal sexual conduct, which is a 15-year felony.
During the court hearing, one of DeLand’s three accusers and his family sat in the courtroom gallery. The 18-year-old testified in the priest’s first trial the previous week and was to testify in his second trial.
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