Ex-priest priest pleads guilty in Upper Peninsula to abuse
IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (AP) — A former Upper Peninsula priest who left Michigan years ago has pleaded guilty to a remaining sexual abuse case against him.
Gary Jacobs, 75, is accused of sexually abuse teenagers in the 1980s while serving as a priest under the Catholic Diocese of Marquette.
He pleaded guilty Friday to one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in Dickinson County, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. His sentencing will be July 2.
In April, he pleaded guilty to four other counts of criminal sexual conduct in Ontonagon County. His sentencing in that case will be May 25.
According to the plea deal, which covers both counties, Jacobs will serve between eight and 15 years on each of the five counts, which will run concurrently. Nessel's office calls it the "harshest prison sentence" handed down in its clergy abuse investigation which has resulted in other guilty pleas.
Jacobs must undergo sex offender counseling and be on lifetime electronic monitoring when released. His attorney has not returned a previous request for comment.
Diocese officials said Jacobs was removed from ministry in 1988 and left Michigan. He was living in New Mexico when he was charged in January 2020.
"I am proud of the work done by our clergy abuse team to reach this plea agreement," Nessel said in statement. "None of this would be possible without the courageous victims who have been willing to share their stories in order to achieve justice."
Bar associations, sorority present Virtual Educational Forum II
The D. Augustus Straker Bar Association along with the Wolverine Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, Project Clean Slate, and the Detroit Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Social Action Committee will present Virtual Educational Forum II: “Clearing the Record: Traffic Convictions & Multiple Felonies” online Tuesday, May 18, beginning from 6 to 7 p.m. via Zoom.
Attendees will get a clear understanding of Michigan’s new expungement laws on traffic convictions and multiple felonies that applicants can now have cleared from their criminal record.
Panelists will include Assistant Secretary of State Heaster Wheeler, State Rep. Tenisha Yancey, former State Rep. and DPSCD board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Regina Thomas, and attorney Stephanie LaBelle.
The public can register for the free forum at bit.ly/May18Expungement. For additional information, email socialaction@detroitdeltas.org.
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