MARQUETTE (MI)
WPBN - NBC 7 [Traverse City MI]
October 1, 2023
By Brandon Chew
A former Michigan priest arrested by authorities who posed as a 15-year-old boy on the dating app Grindr has been convicted.
Aaron Nowicki, 49, was convicted of child sexually abusive activity on Thursday, according to a news release from Chippewa County Prosecutor Robert L. Stratton.
A sentencing date for Nowicki has not yet been scheduled.
Nowicki resigned from priestly ministry in Jan. 2019 after it was alleged he had an “improper, but not criminal, relationship with a vulnerable adult,” the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette said in a statement.
During a 2021 operation, the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, or GHOST, collaborated with Upper Peninsula law enforcement agencies in an undercover operation posing as a 15-year-old boy on the dating app Grindr.
During the operation, multiple individuals were arrested after arriving at a location to have sexual intercourse with the 15-year-old.
Prosecutor Stratton said in the news release that Nowicki testified to using the app for years to have sex with people whose profiles stated they were 18 years old.
“When the defendant took the stand, he testified that he has been an active user of Grindr over the past 11 years, and has had sexual relations with several individuals whose profiles indicated that they were 18 years of age,” Prosecutor Stratton said.
“When pressed, he admitted that he never asked any of them their actual age,” Prosecutor Stratton said.
Bishop John Doerfler issued the following statement after the conviction was announced:
“Clergy sexual abuse is a grave evil that should never happen. On behalf of the Church, I apologize to all those who have been harmed by any bishop, priest or deacon. My heart goes out to you, and I pledge to accompany you on the journey to the peace and healing of Jesus Christ.”
Anyone who has been abused in the diocese is encouraged to contact the Michigan Attorney General’s Office’s toll-free hotline by calling 844-324-3374.
Calls should be made between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.