LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged a Coloma priest with false imprisonment for locking a teenage boy in a janitor's room.
The charges against Father Brian Stanley, 57, were announced Thursday morning. He appeared in Allegan District Court for an arraignment.
Stanley is accused and was arrested for holding a teenage boy against his will in a janitor's closet of St. Margaret's Church, in Otsego in 2013, according to the attorney general's office.
The boy was wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and masking tape. His eyes and mouth were covered and Stanley is said to have left the victim bound and alone in the room for over an hour before returning and letting him go.
The Kalamazoo Diocese immediately reported the incident after learning of the allegation in 2013, a spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.
"We promptly placed Fr. Brian Stanley on administrative leave pending the outcome of the police investigation," the statement said. "According to the Otsego Police Department, ‘The complaint was not criminal and there would be no charges.’"
Otsego Police Chief Gordon Konkle said "the parents and the child were extremely supportive of the priest and denied any wrongdoing whatsoever."
The Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney did not have enough to purse charges at the time, Konkle said.
The charge against Stanley is the result of information from files seized from the diocese in October 2018, according to the attorney general. The crime occurred when Stanley was asked by the victim’s family to help counsel their son.
The attorney general's office did not contact Otsego Police about recent charges, according to Konkle.
The attorney general's office says based on Kalamazoo Diocesan records, Stanley had been engaging in this type of conduct with the binding materials for decades. The attorney general's office says this type of incident is a sexually motivated crime.
False imprisonment is a felony that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and requires sex offender registration.
The Diocese of Kalamazoo provided this statement regarding the charged against Stanley:
The Diocese of Kalamazoo learned this morning that Fr. Brian Stanley has been criminally charged by the Michigan Attorney General. The incident alleged in the Attorney General’s complaint was reported to the Diocese in 2013. In accordance with the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Diocese promptly reported the allegation to Child Protective Services, who referred the matter to the Otsego Police Department for investigation.
We promptly placed Fr. Brian Stanley on administrative leave pending the outcome of the police investigation. According to the Otsego Police Department, ‘the complaint was not criminal and there would be no charges.’
Four years later, the Diocese learned of additional allegations involving Fr. Stanley. We reported these incidents to the Coldwater Police Department; no charges were filed by law enforcement. We placed Fr. Stanley on administrative leave from active ministry in January 2017. He remains on administrative leave and is prohibited from public ministry.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to promote greater protection and safeguards of all people, particularly for children and vulnerable adults. We adhere to the National 2002 Charter for the Protection of Young People, which guides all that we do.
The diocese says it continues to cooperate with the Attorney General's office through the investigation. It also encourages any clergy sex abuse to be reported to the AG's office by calling 844-324-3374.
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