Former Coldwater priest arrested, charged

By Joyce Jefferson
WTVB TV
August 23, 2019

https://bit.ly/33T4ONV

Father Brian Stanley was arraigned in Allegan County District Court August 22, 2019 on a charge of unlawful imprisonment

Father Brian Stanley, the former pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Coldwater and Our Lady of Fatima in Union City

Father Brian Stanley of Coloma was arraigned Thursday on a charge of unlawful imprisonment in an alleged 2013 incident involving a teen at St. Margaret Church in Otsego

Documents seized by the attorney general's office from Catholic Diocese offices around the state last fall have resulted in a charge being filed against a 57-year-old priest who used to be the pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Coldwater and Our Lady of Fatima in Union City.

Father Brian Stanley of Coloma was arraigned by Allegan County Magistrate Daniel Norbeck Thursday on a charge of unlawful imprisonment.

Stanley was able to get his bond reduced from $100,000 to $5,000 on the condition he can not have any contact with minors.

According to documents, a teen was wrapped up in plastic wrap and masking tape with his eyes and mouth covered and left in a janitor's closet for an hour at St. Margaret Church in Otsego in 2013. The teen's parents had taken him to Stanley for counseling due to poor grades and drug use.

Attorney General Dana Nessel says documents from the Kalamazoo Diocese showed a history of such bindings dating back decades by Stanley, and she classified it as a sexual crime. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, and would have to register as a sex offender.

The Diocese of Kalamazoo released a statement Thursday which stated the incident alleged in the Attorney General’s complaint was reported to the Diocese in 2013. They then referred the matter to the Otsego Police Department for investigation. Father Stanley was then placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. But according to the Otsego Police Department, ‘the complaint was not criminal and there would be no charges.’

The Diocese says they learned of additional allegations against Father Stanley four years later which were reported to the Coldwater Police Department but no charges were filed by law enforcement.

Father Stanley was placed on administrative leave from active ministry in January 2017 and is prohibited from public ministry.

The statement concluded by saying “we remain steadfast in our commitment to promote greater protection and safeguards of all people, particularly for children and vulnerable adults. We encourage the reporting of clergy sex abuse to the Attorney General’s office by calling the established hotline at 844-324-3374.”