Crime & Safety

Troy Man Arrested and Charged in Sexual Assault Case from Church Preschool

A former volunteer at St. Augustine Lutheran Church's preschool facility has been arrested and was arraigned on one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 25-year felony, at Troy's 52-4 District Court.

James Patrick O'Connell of Troy pleaded not guilty through his attorney as a cash surety bond was set at $500,000. Investigations by the Troy Police Department and Child Protective Services had been ongoing since May, when a report containing allegations of sexual assault against a child at the preschool was filed.


O'Connell stood mute before Magistrate Clement Waldmann, after which his attorney, Shannon Smith, asserted his innocence and vowed, "We’ll be fighting this case aggressively."

In asking for a "reasonable" bond, Smith told Waldmann that O'Connell is a lifelong Michigan resident who had attended St. Augustine for more than 20 years prior to the allegations, but has since cooperated with the investigation and stayed away from the church. 

Smith continued that O'Connell has never faced legal charges and has no serious mental health issues.

In setting the bond, Waldmann said, "I’m concerned because of the nature of the situation, I’m concerned with the protection of the public, whether he is going to go back to the church or not, or whether he’s going some place else." 

O'Connell, 60, was joined on Wednesday by his wife and looked over to her once upon entering the courtroom. Smith said afterwards that both O'Connell and his wife are "scared, confused, and stressed out."

The school caters to preschool and pre-K children between the ages of 2 1/2 to 5 years, employing a paid staff as well as volunteers, said Richard Gady, a member of the preschool's board of directors, in June, when the investigation was announced. Gady said that the suspect was a volunteer at the time of the alleged incident.


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