A
Berlin priest who is facing five felony counts admitted to Berlin
police detectives that he on at least two occasions offered oral sex to a
13-year-old boy he knew from his work at St. Paul's Roman Catholic
Church.
The Rev. Michael Miller, who faces five counts of risk of
injury to a minor and one count of attempted obscenity, was in court
Tuesday to face those charges.
The warrant for his arrest was also
unsealed.
The six-page document, prepared by Berlin police Det. Sgt. John
McCormack, tells the story of a concerned mother who contacted police
after finding what she viewed as inappropriate conversations between her
son and Miller.
The conversations took place online on Facebook and through text messaging on cellphones.
Miller, 41, has been suspended from the ministry by the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Miller, according to the warrant, engaged in increasingly sexually
graphic conversations with the boy and questioned the boy about his
sexual development.
The priest also told the boy about his own sexual
experiences with men, the warrant reads.
The boy told police that Miller
never touched him.
Miller told the boy he watched pornographic
movies and described sex acts that he said he enjoyed, according to the
warrant.
He also told the boy he was planning to meet a man at for sex
at a motel on the Berlin Turnpike, the warrant reads.
On July 3,
after interviewing the boy, police began looking for Miller to question
him. They found his car at a Berlin Turnpike motel and staked it out
until he left the motel about 10 p.m. that day, according to the
warrant. McCormack and a colleague approached Miller and asked him to go
to the police department for an interview.
According to the
warrant, he admitted to the detectives that he'd been conversing with
the boy on Facebook and via text messages and that the discussions were
sexual and inappropriate.
He also acknowledged having a Facebook
account under the alias Brenden Duvey to avoid what he described as
"stalkers" at the church, according to the warrant. He'd told the boy
that the sisters at the church did not approve of his using Facebook.
The priest also allowed detectives to seize his computer and cellphone for a forensic analysis.
On July 4, Miller was taken by helicopter to St. Francis Hospital and
Medical Center for an undisclosed medical condition. He was arrested
July 12 and is free on $150,000 bail.
"The State of Connecticut
unsealed the arrest affadavit detailing the information underlying the
criminal charges brought against Fr. Miller yesterday," Maria Zone,
director of communications for the archdiocese, said in an e-mail
Wednesday.
"The Archdiocese of Hartford and the Franciscan Friars
Conventual acknowledge the gravity of the charges and facts disclosed,
and condone neither. We detest any actions that would hurt God's
children," she said.
"It is important for the public to know that
the Archdiocese is committed to keeping children safe through efforts
like the 'Safe Environment Program,' which requires background checks
for all personnel who have regular contact with children and young
people and includes Virtus training on sexual awareness for all such
personnel, and seminars.