At the end of last year, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced her office planned to charge two more priests with criminal sexual conduct charges in early 2020. Last Friday, AG Nessel followed through on that plan and announced charges against two former priests from the Upper Peninsula associated with the Catholic Diocese of Marquette.
The two former priests are Gary Allen Jacobs and Roy Joseph.
Charges against Jacobs stem from his time in Ontonagon County as well as Dickinson County. Jacobs is charged with six counts of criminal sexual conduct first degree and one count of criminal sexual conduct second degree. All counts are alleged to involve minors who were 13-16 years old at the time of the abuse. Jacobs is also charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree involving a minor under the age of 13-years-old.
Joseph is charged with one count of criminal sexual conduct first-degree from his time in Marquette County. The incident is alleged to have taken place in 2006.
Both men face life in prison if convicted.
Not only has the AG’s office supported survivors by bringing charges against known perpetrators, such as Jacobs and Joseph, but the AG recently hired its first full-time victim advocate, Paul Carbini, to serve the Clergy Abuse Investigation Team. To submit information about sexual abuse by a clergy member, whether you are a survivor, witness or whistleblower, contact the AG’s office at 844-324-3374 (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.), via email at aginvestigations@michigan.gov or submit information anonymously online.
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse are gaining strength day after day to stand up and share their stories thanks, in part, to the work of organizations such as the Attorney General’s office who seek to hold the Catholic Church accountable. But the AG’s office is still limited in charges it can file because of Michigan’s Statute of Limitation. Inability to prosecute cases or file suit against the church because of statute of limitation issues is unacceptable.
The law needs to change and the attorneys at Grewal Law, PLLC are here to fight alongside survivors to make that change happen. Contact an attorney at Grewal Law, PLLC at (888) 211-5798 or online for a free consultation to see how we can best assist you. It’s time to let the Catholic Church know #timesup and demand complete transparency to protect our communities and most importantly our children from dangerous pedophiles within the church.
Sammie Eyde began working at Grewal Law, PLLC in April 2019. Although recently licensed in Michigan, Ms. Eyde’s experience in California as a Deputy Public Defender gave her tremendous experience in handling all phases of a criminal case from arraignment through trial and all the way to post-sentencing matters.
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