WAYNE, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged a 57-year-old Detroit-area priest with sexually abusing a minor.
Nessel said in a statement The Rev. Joseph “Jack” Baker was arrested Monday and is expected to be arraigned in a Wayne district court. The charge is first-degree criminal sexual conduct with someone under 13.
Baker’s attorney didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
The Archdiocese of Detroit announced last month it restricted Baker from ministry because of a decades-old allegation. Baker, who most recently served St. Perpetua Parish in Waterford Township, was ordained in 1993.
Diocesan officials on Sunday announced the removal of another Michigan priest from ministry after reviewing a child-abuse allegation from decades ago.
State prosecutors in May said five other priests face sexual abuse charges as part of an ongoing investigation.
