Catholic priest sentenced to 45 days in jail for assault after sex crime charge dropped

DETROIT (MI)
Fox 2 Detroit

Nov. 20, 2019

A Detroit Catholic priest was sentenced to jail time and probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to aggravated assault while his sex crime charge was dropped.

Officials say 55-year-old Patrick Casey of Archdiocese of Detroit was initially charged with one felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. That charge was for allegedly performing oral sex on a man during confession “while acting as the victim’s spiritual counselor,” according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Casey, who was a priest at St. Theodore of Canterbury Parish in Westland, took a plea to a lesser charge after the jury came back hung in his October trial. Prosecutors dropped the criminal sexual conduct charge, while he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

On Wednesday, Casey was sentenced 1-year probation with 45 days in jail.

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