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Former Michigan priest charged with sex abuse pleads guilty to lesser charge

Posted at 12:20 PM, Oct 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-08 14:32:59-04

(WXYZ) — Patrick Casey, a former priest who was charged with sex abuse, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in court on Tuesday. This came after a jury was deadlocked during deliberations, which began Monday afternoon.

Casey, 55, was charged with one felony count of criminal sexual conduct. He is accused of performing sexual acts on a man he was counseling. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

His attorney argued that he should be acquitted of the crime, saying the sexual acts were consensual, but a judge denied the request.

Casey is expected to be sentenced next month.