Former Michigan priest sentenced for criminal sexual misconduct
(CBS DETROIT) - A former Ann Arbor priest was sentenced on criminal sexual conduct charges on Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Timothy Crowley, 74, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County in August.
Yesterday, Nov. 8, Crowley was sentenced to one year of incarceration and five years of probation. In addition, he was also sentenced to receive sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Crowley was arrested in Tempe, Arizona in 2019. He had previously been a priest at St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor and was charged in connection to abusing a minor three decades ago. The case against Crowley was initially dismissed after a preliminary examination, but the attorney general's office argued there was enough evidence that showed the victims were coerced by Crowley to commit sexual acts, and the Court of Appeals agreed.
This case is part of the investigations into clergy abuse at Michigan's seven Catholic dioceses that started in 2018 by Nessel's office, Michigan State Police, and other law enforcement agencies.
Crowley is now the ninth clergyman convicted and his sentencing completes the prosecution of the five original priests charged in this investigation.
This investigation has delivered justice to 44 survivors, with 11 priests being criminally charged, with 20 convictions against nine clergymen.
"I continue to be proud of the work my clergy abuse team is doing to obtain justice in these cases," Nessel said. "This sentence will never erase the pain Mr. Crowley inflicted on those who trusted him, but it serves as an example of our pursuit of justice related to clergy abuse and, hopefully, can provide some sense of relief to his many victims."
For more information on the Michigan Department of Attorney General's investigation of clergy abuse, visit here.
