MICHIGAN
Detroit Free Press
Associated Press
A western Michigan pastor who was told about suspected child abuse can’t be prosecuted for failing to report it, the state appeals court said today, citing a law that gives clergy protection in cases dealing with confidential information.
The court, in a 3-0 decision, agreed with similar decisions by judges in Ionia County, east of Grand Rapids.
In 2009, a woman told John Prominski, pastor of Resurrection Life Church in Ionia, that her husband likely was abusing her daughters. She wanted advice from him but authorities weren’t alerted.
After another incident in 2011, Prominski told the woman that she must contact police or he would, according to a summary of the case. That’s when police learned he had failed to report suspected abuse two years earlier.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.