Plymouth Church Sued For Alleged Sexual Assault On 5-Year-Old

PLYMOUTH, MI — A family is accusing a local church of sexual assault on their 5-year-old girl.

A lawsuit filed Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court alleges a 5-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth on Palm Sunday in 2017, WDIV reported.

The case was filed as a Jane Doe case to protect the anonymity of the family.

The case alleges the girl went to Sunday school and the usual teachers were not there. The girl reportedly asked go to the bathroom and went unescorted.

The lawsuit says she was gone for 20 minutes and her absence was not noticed. In that time, the allegation is a man got her in the bathroom, sexually assaulted her and exposed himself, WDIV reported.

A spokesperson for the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth released the following statement:

The Church was made aware of a claim involving a child on Palm Sunday in April 2017 and immediately commissioned an investigation. The Church has fully cooperated with, and provided information to, the Plymouth Police in connection with the police investigation. The Church has not seen any lawsuit involving this matter and was not aware of the filing. The Church is deeply saddened by this claim and continues to pray for anyone involved.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Plymouth Police Department at 734-354-3232 or 734-453-8600.

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