Former Michigan priest accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old boy in 1977

Elliott-Larsen Building sign unveiling – September 21, 2020

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel addresses the crowd during the unveiling of the sign for the newly-renamed Elliott-Larsen Building in Lansing, on Monday, September 21, 2020. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

LANSING – A former Michigan priest has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday.

Gary Berthiaume, 78, formerly of Farmington, is charged with one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year felony. He was arrested on the charge today at his home in Warrendale, Illinois and will face extradition to Michigan where charges were authorized last week.

The victim, who was 14 at the time, reported the assault took place in August 1977 at the rectory of Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington, where Berthiaume was a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Berthiaume was arrested in 1977 for sexual assault of two other minors in Michigan.  After serving a jail sentence in the Oakland County Jail he was transferred to the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio. He was moved again in 1987 to the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois.

“My office’s investigation into clergy abuse will continue to receive, review and act upon credible allegations of abuse on behalf of the many victims who have come forward,” Nessel said in a statement.

“Criminal sexual conduct at any level must not be tolerated, and we must ensure justice is served to those who assault others – particularly those authority figures and people in powerful positions who prey on the weak and vulnerable.”

Berthiaume’s arrest comes as Nessel’s office continues to investigate sexual abuse within the seven Catholic dioceses across the state.

More than 1.5 million paper documents and 3.5 million electronic documents were seized through search warrants executed in October 2018. Including Berthiaume, the Attorney General’s investigation has resulted in criminal charges being filed against 11 individuals with ties to the Catholic Church.

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