Neil Kalina, who served at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township from 1982-1985 and is incarcerated at the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson, was convicted in 2022 of two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and sentenced to seven to 15 years.
After Kalina appealed, the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction in April, but the three-judge panel ordered resentencing after determining there was a technical error during the initial sentencing.
"The Court determined that improper consideration of acquitted conduct had impacted the calculation of Kalina’s incarceration term," according to a press release from Nessel's office.
Acquitted conduct is defined by the Congressional Research Service as "conduct underlying a charged criminal offense of which the defendant was acquitted."
As part of the sentence, Kalina will be on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life, the Attorney General's Office said.
“While this case has been prolonged, I hope that after 40 years, the victim can find some solace knowing Mr. Kalina will continue to spend years behind bars for this heinous assault,” Nessel said in a statement “My office remains committed to supporting sexual assault survivors and victims of clergy abuse and ensuring their perpetrators are held accountable.”
Kalina is one of 11 clergymen who have been charged by the the attorney general’s clergy abuse investigation team.