SAULT STE. MARIE (MI)
MLive [Walker MI]
August 17, 2021
By Matt Durr
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI — A sting operation conducted Friday led to the arrest of three different men who each are accused of allegedly attempting to meet with children for a sexual encounter. According to the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, the one-day operation was coordinated between that office, the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, the Sault Tribe Police Department and the “Ghost” team from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
“The focus of this mission was to locate adults who were using the internet to find children to have sex with,” said Chippewa County Sheriff Mike Bitnar. “Now, this operation lasted for one day and by the end of the day we had arrested three people.”
During the sting, police posed as 14- or 15-year-old children and engaged in separate conversations with each man about meeting up for a sexual encounter. All three men allegedly arrived at a motel room expecting to meet the children before being arrested.
One of the suspects has been identified as Aaron Nowicki, 37, of Cheyboygan, Wisc., a former priest that was removed from the ministry in 2019 over allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct, according to WLUC 6.
All three men were arraigned on multiple charges Sunday in 91st District Court, according to the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office. The department did not share specific charges, but did say all three men were given $100,000 bond with a required tether.