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A charge has been filed against a priest who was on a relic tour in Joliet last year and he is accused of placing the hair of a 13-year-old girl in his mouth, court records show.
A warrant was issued for arrest of Carlos Martins, 50, of Houston, Texas, on a misdemeanor charge of battery that was filed at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.
Martins is not a priest with the Diocese of Joliet. He was a priest with the Companions of the Cross, which is based in Canada.
The Canadian Catholic society announced in a statement last year that he was temporarily suspended “pending an ongoing police investigation into a recent complaint at one of his relic expositions that took place in the [Diocese of Joliet].”
Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said the defendant listed in the case is the same Father Carlos Martins who was suspected of inappropriately touching the hair of a 13-year-old girl while at the location as part of a relic tour in Joliet.
“An investigation of the incident was completed by detectives and submitted to the Will County State’s Attorney Office for their review. Following this review, they approved a charge of one count of misdemeanor battery. No arrests have been made in this incident,” English said.
The criminal complaint alleged that on or about Nov. 25, 2024, Martins “knowingly without legal justification” made physical contact of an “insulting and provoking nature” with the girl.
The complaint alleged Martins “placed the hair” of the girl “in his mouth.”
The charge is a class A misdemeanor and punishable by up to a year in jail.
The warrant for Martins’ arrest said he must be taken to Will County judge for a hearing to determine pretrial detention or the conditions of his release.