SAULT STE. MARIE (MI)
WLUC - NBC 6 [Negaunee MI]
August 17, 2021
By Jacqueline Agahigian
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (WLUC) – Three men face multiple felony charges in Sault Ste. Marie in connection to child trafficking.
According to the Chippewa County Sheriff’s department, among the three arrested on Sunday during a “ghost” operation was 37-year-old Aaron Nowicki who is a non-practicing catholic priest.
Nowicki is from Cheboygan but works in Sault Ste. Marie.
According to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette, Nowicki resigned and was removed from ministry in 2019 because of allegations of serious, but not criminal, sexual misconduct with a vulnerable adult.
23-year-old Micah Rickerd, a college student and 41-year-old Benjamin Simpkin, a Sault Ste. Marie man who works in foodservice were also arrested.
All three men are charged with one count of Accosting a Child for Immoral Purposes, two counts of Using a Computer to Commit a Crime, and one count of Child Sexually Abusive Activity.
All three suspects were arraigned in the 91st district court on Sunday and have a Probable Cause Conference scheduled for August 26.
Their bond was set at $100,000 each.
