Detroit-Area Priest Gets 45 Days In Jail For Assaulting Man

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area Catholic priest has been sentenced to 45 days in jail for aggravated assault on a younger man who wanted counseling.

The victim told a judge Wednesday that he approached the Rev. Patrick Casey in 2013 because he "needed a shepherd" but that the priest did nothing to help him.

Casey was accused of engaging in sex acts with the younger man, who was struggling with his Catholic faith and homosexuality and was suicidal. Casey at the time was a priest in Westland.

The Associated Press doesn't normally identify victims of sexual abuse.

Casey pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in October after a jury said it was having trouble reaching a unanimous verdict on a felony charge. The Detroit Archdiocese says it learned about the allegations in 2015 and banned Casey from any form of church ministry.

He was charged after documents were turned over last year to the attorney general's office.

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