AG: More victims possible for former Farmington priest charged with sex crime
A former Catholic priest charged with a sex crime from an alleged incident in the 1970s at a Farmington church could be facing additional charges involving two other victims, according to the assistant attorney general prosecuting the case.
Gary Berthiaume, 78, is charged with one count of second- degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly assaulting a young boy at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in 1977. He was arrested Sept. 29 at his home in Warrendale, Illinois following an investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
At a pretrial hearing before 47th District Judge James Brady, Assistant Attorney General Danielle Russo Bennetts said an investigation has identified two other possible victims from the same time period whose allegations are within the statute of limitations. There’s also a possible third victim, but too much time has passed to bring charges for those allegations, Bennetts said.
The other possible victims are from Oakland County and Wayne County, and possible charges are criminal sexual conduct - second degree and gross indecency, Bennetts said.
She’s awaiting a decision on one of the cases and an investigation continues into the other, she said.
The current charge, brought by the attorney general’s office, alleges Berthiaume assaulted a 14- year- old boy in Our Lady of Sorrows’ church rectory. At the time he was serving as a priest there, as part of the Archdiocese of Detroit.
A preliminary examination to determine if the case against Berthiaume moves forward is tentatively set for Feb. 10, 2021. An in-person exam is requested, so the date could change if restrictions prohibiting that remain in place by then due to COVID-19.
At a pretrial hearing Dec. 2, Brady denied a request to allow Berthiaume to leave Michigan and stay in Ohio with a relative or at his home in Illinois while the case is pending — despite defense attorney Robbie Lang’s insistence that he wasn’t a flight risk.
“I think that the idea that a 78-year- old man facing a charge that was from 43 years ago who’s had a very established professional and personal life is gonna all of a sudden disappear like D. B. Cooper, that’s a fantasy. He will appear in court and face whatever charge he’s facing,” said Lang, who’s temporarily filling in for attorney Michael Smith.
In her argument against allowing Berthiaume to leave the state — which Brady sided with — Bennetts referenced the other possible victims, as well as Berthiaume’s past convictions, including one that landed him in the Oakland County Jail for six months. Berthiaume, who posted a $ 50,000 bond to stay out of jail while his case makes its way through court, is living at a hotel in Brighton, Lang said. The charge against him is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Berthiaume is one of several individuals with connections to the Catholic Church who have been charged with crimes by the Michigan AG’s office following the seizure of a vast amount of documents two years ago.
Another case tied to Oakland County involves Father Joseph “Jack” Baker who was serving as a pastor of St. Perpetua Catholic Church in Waterford when he was charged last year with first- degree criminal sexual conductsexual penetration with a person less than 13 years old. It’s alleged that the assault happened in a storage room of St. Mary Catholic Church in Wayne in 2004. A trial is pending in Wayne County Circuit Court.