LANSING (MI)
The Detroit News
By David Eggert / Associated Press
LANSING -- The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a Roman Catholic priest convicted of sexual misconduct with a boy at a Detroit rectory, ruling the priest was deprived of an impartial jury.
The Rev. Edward Olszewski, 72, was convicted in 2002 of indecent liberties with an 11-year-old boy at St. Cecilia's in Detroit. His accuser said the misconduct took place in the early 1970s.
In an order released Friday, the high court agreed with Olszewski's argument that a woman who was molested as a young child should not have been allowed on the jury. Wayne County Circuit Judge Diane Hathaway had previously ruled that the juror acted fairly and based her decision on the evidence.
Olszewski's attorney said her client was ecstatic.
"He has maintained his innocence all along," Elizabeth Jacobs said. "The Michigan Supreme Court has given him a very nice Christmas present. This really means a lot to him. He had to give up being a priest."