NEWS RELEASE
CHIPPEWA COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
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Aaron James Nowicki, 49, was convicted of child sexually abusive activity on Sept. 28, 2023.
The jury heard testimony from several police officers, a forensic computer expert, and the defendant himself. The case arose from an undercover collaboration between the Genessee Human Oppression Strike Team (GHOST), the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department, Sault Tribe Police Department, and TRIDENT.
The undercover operation included use of the social media application Grindr, which permits individuals to meet for sexual encounters. Testimony revealed that while the terms of service require that users be at least 18 years old to use the site, minors in Chippewa County have been using it since before the GHOST operation took place in 2021.
During the operation, undercover officers posed as a 15-year-old boy, and several individuals, including the defendant, were arrested when they arrived at the location for sexual intercourse. The case had received media attention prior to trial due to the fact that Nowicki was removed from the Catholic Priesthood in 2019 due to alleged sexual misconduct.
The case was presented to the jury by Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jillian Sadler with the assistance of lead investigator Detective Kristin Autore from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Department. When the defendant took the stand, he testified that he has been an active user of Grindr over the past 11 years, and has had sexual relations with several individuals whose profiles indicated that they were 18 years of age.
When pressed, he admitted that he never asked any of them their actual age. He testified that he relied solely on the age stated by their profile, while also admitting that he knew that people under the age of 18 would sometimes use the site, and would have to tell Grindr that they were 18 or older in order to do so. Ultimately, the jury determined that the defendant failed to take reasonable precautions to determine whether the person he was meeting for sexual intercourse was 18 years of age or older.
According to Prosecutor Robert Stratton, “The protection of our children ultimately falls to the parents and community, though law enforcement will continue to do everything in their power as well. Parents need to be aware that these social media platforms exist as they pose a very real danger to teenagers who are looking to spread their wings, and may accidentally fall straight into the arms of a predator. The undercover operation revealed that our small community is not free of those who would prey on children.”
Sault Ste. Marie Police Chief Wesley Bierling echoed the sentiment and further stated, “The officers in this case did an exemplary job of locating child predators and removing them from our community. Too often, cases are referred to law enforcement after a child has become a victim and suffered traumatization. This type of inter-agency cooperation makes Chippewa County safer for everyone. I applaud all the agencies involved in this proactive operation for their hard work and dedication to the safety and security of our most valuable resource, our children.”
Nowicki will be sentenced in the 50th Circuit Court, but a date has not yet been set.
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