Records: Police searched Lee Chatfield's family school in sex assault probe

from Bridge Michigan 4/11/2022

Police investigating sexual assault allegations against former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield have searched the Christian school run by Chatfield’s father, Bridge Michigan has learned.

It’s unclear what, if anything, Michigan State Police officers took from the Northern Michigan Christian Academy (NMCA) during their Jan. 27 search. But newly public court documents obtained by Bridge Michigan indicate detectives sought records tied to Chatfield’s employment at the Burt Lake church and school, from personnel files and preaching certifications to yearbooks and photographs.

It’s at least the third police search tied to allegations that Chatfield sexually assaulted his now sister-in-law for years beginning around 2010 or 2011, when she was a teenage student at the school where he taught and coached, and continuing for more than a decade, throughout Chatfield’s time in office.

A spokesperson for Michigan State Police would not provide details about the search.

“This remains an ongoing investigation, and we do not publicly discuss ongoing investigations,” spokesperson Shanon Banner said in an email.

Read the full article (here)