An exorcist priest is being charged with battery. He is strongly rejecting the charges.
On Jan. 22, the Will County State Attorney General’s office formally charged Fr. Carlos Martins with Class A battery, a misdemeanor that carries a $100 fine.
The complaint states that “defendant knowingly without legal justification by any means made physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with I.K., a minor, in that said defendant placed the hair of I.K. in his mouth.”
RELATED: Fr. Carlos Martins rejects charges of battery after relic tour incident
Marcella Burke, attorney for Fr. Martins, issued an official response to Stella Maris Media:
“These charges are egregious and unfounded. The evidence will show that Fr. Carlos did not ‘floss’ with a student’s hair or ‘growl’ among other completely false and repulsive accusations — this is a takedown of a good priest and an attempted shakedown of the Church. We are confident in the legal process and look forward to our client being fully exonerated. We will continue to vigorously defend his rights and reputation.”
The flossing and growling refer to witness statements made during police interviews in November, when Fr. Martins visited Queen of Apostles parish in Joliet, Illinois during his tour of the relic of St. Jude.
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