Sex Charges against Grand Ledge Ex-Teacher Dropped
By Kevin Grasha
A former Catholic school teacher accused of sexual crimes against two children has pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges, and prosecutors have dropped all criminal sexual conduct charges he faced. At a hearing last month in Ingham County Circuit Court, 40-year-old Christopher deMorrow admitted kicking his former wife in the back in a dispute over what to watch on television. She suffered a severe bruise to her tailbone, court documents say. He also admitted in court that he “ripped a rake out of” his former wife’s hand during a dispute, placing her in fear. But testimony his former wife gave last year during a preliminary hearing — including descriptions of deMorrow allegedly masturbating in front of children, touching a child inappropriately and licking a child’s face — was not mentioned. As part of the plea, prosecutors dropped two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the children and one count of committing/procuring gross indecency between males. DeMorrow faces up to one year in jail. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and aggravated domestic violence involving his former wife, Heather deMorrow. A sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 28. DeMorrow’s attorney, G. Michael Hocking, did not return messages seeking comment. Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III declined to discuss specifics about why the criminal sexual conduct charges were dropped, saying he could do so after the sentencing. “Given the tender years of the children and the prospective trauma of a trial,” Dunnings said, “while we felt confident (in our case), we had to take into consideration the best interests of the children.” None of the accusations involved students at St. Michael Parish School in Grand Ledge, where deMorrow taught seventh and eighth grades. He taught there for nine years. DeMorrow was placed on administrative leave in November 2010 and charged the following month. His contract was not renewed for the 2011-2012 school year, said the Rev. Jim Eisele, who noted teachers at the school are on yearly contracts. Since being released on bond in April 2011, deMorrow has been living with his parents in Ludington and monitored by an electronic tether, according to statements made in court. He now is engaged to another woman. He has been divorced from Heather deMorrow since 2008, although they lived together afterward in East Lansing. The domestic violence incidents happened between 2008 and 2010. Heather deMorrow left him for good in 2010, according to testimony. At the plea hearing, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina removed the tether requirement but called the criminal sexual conduct allegations “disturbing.” Although Christopher deMorrow has completed domestic violence counseling, Aquilina indicated she would consider other kinds of counseling as part of her sentence. “Probation is for rehabilitation,” Aquilina said, according to transcripts of the hearing. “We are going to see what rehabilitation means in your case.” A former Catholic school teacher accused of sexual crimes against two children has pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges, and prosecutors have dropped all criminal sexual conduct charges he faced. At a hearing last month in Ingham County Circuit Court, 40-year-old Christopher deMorrow admitted kicking his former wife in the back in a dispute over what to watch on television. She suffered a severe bruise to her tailbone, court documents say. He also admitted in court that he “ripped a rake out of” his former wife’s hand during a dispute, placing her in fear.
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