LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A former Ann Arbor priest has pled guilty to criminal sexual conduct charges.
Timothy Crowley, 74, pled guilty Wednesday to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct at a plea hearing in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Crowley was a priest at St. Thomas Rectory in Ann Arbor before his arrest in 2019 in Tempe, Arizona. His case was initially dismissed after a preliminary examination, but the attorney general’s office prevailed in the Court of Appeals.
His sentencing agreement includes five years of probation, the first of which Crowley is required to spend in jail. He will also receive sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender.
The attorney general’s investigation into clergy abuse at Michigan’s seven Catholic dioceses began in 2018 with assistance from the Michigan State Police and other law enforcement agencies.
Criminal charges were issued in 11 cases throughout Michigan and convictions were secured in nine — bringing justice to 44 survivors of abuse, the attorney general’s office said.
The remaining two defendants are pending extradition from India.
Crowley’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 8 in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
“We are grateful to have obtained some measure of justice on this matter and many others, further breaking down the walls of silence which often surround sexual assault and abuse,” Nessel said.
