Priest in clergy sex abuse investigation has case bound over to circuit court for further proceedings

The abuse case against Ann Arbor Priest Timothy Crowley has been bound over to circuit court for further proceedings, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.

A pre-trial hearing in the case has been scheduled for March 29, when dates for motions and a jury trial date will be set.  

“It is thanks to the victim-centered, trauma-informed investigation by the Michigan State Police and the staff in the Department of Attorney General that this predator was tracked down and brought back to Michigan to face his crimes,” Nessel said. “I also want to thank the survivors who have come forward to share their stories and bring attention to the abuse that has been endured by too many children for too long.”

Crowley, who was a priest at St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor, was charged in May 2019 with four felony counts of first-degree Criminal Sexual Conduct and four felony counts of second-degree Criminal Sexual Conduct related to his abuse three decades ago of a minor. He was arrested in Tempe, Arizona. Crowley’s case was dismissed after a preliminary examination, but the attorney general’s office prevailed in an appeal to the Court of Appeals.