LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A former Roman Catholic priest in Michigan will be tried on sexual assault charges for allegedly abusing a 5-year-old boy after a 1987 family funeral, Attorney General Dana Nessel said Wednesday.
Vincent DeLorenzo was bound over for trial after a hearing before Grand Blanc District Court Judge Christopher Odette. The judge also increased DeLorenzo’s bond from $100,000 to $200,000. He remains in Genesee County Jail.
DeLorenzo, 81, is accused of abusing the boy from 1995 to 2000. The child was a student at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church school in Burton. The alleged victim testified he was raped by DeLorenzo in the second grade. Defense attorney Michael Manley has said his client ``maintains his innocence.”
Although the alleged crime took place more than 10 years ago, Michigan’s statute of limitations is suspended when a defendant leaves the state for any reason. DeLorenzo admitted when he resigned from a Flint-area parish in 2002 that he had sexually abused a child. He wasn’t charged at the time.
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This story was first published Feb. 5. It was updated Feb. 6 to correct the name of Michigan’s attorney general and the spelling of the city where the priest allegedly abused a boy.
