:quality(70):focal(314x284:324x294)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/GHIIH7BUEBCN3MDIJL7USPNCYY.jpg)
A Catholic priest allegedly grabbed a 13-year-old girl’s hair, made a “flossing motion” with her hair in his mouth, sat behind her and made a “growling noise,” according to a statement from Joliet police officials.
New details about the misdemeanor battery case against the Rev. Carlos Martins, 50, were released in a statement on Tuesday by the Joliet Police Department after Martins was booked, processed and released from police custody.
Martins is not a priest with the Diocese of Joliet and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
At 3:23 p.m. Nov. 21, 2024, officers responded to St. Paul the Apostle Church, 130 Woodlawn Ave., for a report of a battery, Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said.
When officers arrived, they learned a priest had allegedly approached a 13-year-old girl standing in line to view the relic of St. Jude and asked her about her hair, English said.
“It was determined that at this point, it is suspected the priest proceeded to grab the victim’s hair and made a flossing motion with her hair in his mouth,” English said.
It was reported to officers that after the girl had sat down, the priest “sat behind her and made a growling noise,” English said.
Further investigation led to the identification of Martins as the suspect in the case, English said. Officers learned Martins had come to the church “as a representative of the relic of St. Jude tour,” English said.
“A full investigation of this incident was completed by detectives and the findings were 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,” English said.
At 9:41 a.m. on Monday, Martins was taken into police custody after Will County Judge Marzell Richardson quashed the warrant for his arrest at the request of Martins’ attorney.
Martins was processed and released from police custody on a notice to appear at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.
Martins’ attorneys with The Burke Law Group claimed in a statement the battery charge against him is “egregious and unfounded.”
“The evidence will show that [Martins] did not battery anyone. He did not put anyone’s hair in his mouth, let alone ‘floss’ with a student’s hair our ‘growl’ among other completely false and repulsive accusations – this remains a takedown of a good priest and attempted shakedown of the church,” according to the statement from The Burke Law Group.