Former Oakland County Priest To Face Trial In Sex Abuse Case

LANSING, MI — Prosecutors have enough evidence for a former Oakland County priest to face trial on charges of criminal sexual conduct, an Oakland County judge ruled Wednesday.

Gary Berthiaume, 80, was bound over to Oakland County circuit court following a hearing before 47th District Court Judge James Brady. The former priest faces two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a charge punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

“Seeing Mr. Berthiaume bound over for trial is yet another example of my clergy abuse investigation team’s dedication to securing justice for survivors,” Michigan Attorney Dana Nessel said. “We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure those who bravely come forward with their stories receive their day in court.”

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Berthiaume's hearing on Wednesday stemmed from charges that were filed in September 2020. The victim, who was 14 at the time, reported the assault took place in August 1977 at the rectory of Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington, where Berthiaume was a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, according to Nessel.

Berthiaume was arrested in 1977 for sexual assault of two other minors in Michigan, the AG's office said. After serving a jail sentence in the Oakland County Jail, Berthiaume was transferred to the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio. He was moved again in 1987 to the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, according to Nessel.

Last month, Berthiaume was charged with additional felonies in two new cases.

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All three cases stem from allegations of abuse in the 1970s involving three different victims who were between 13- and 15-years-old at the time, Nessel said. Berthiaume was a priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wyandotte and later Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington during that timeframe.