Lake Orion resident Stephen Emerson Elliott, 49, has pled guilty to five counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Elliott, a former associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Lake Orion, was charged in February after a 17-year-old relative told police of several occasions of abuse, dating back to last May.
Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh said that, as part of the plea agreement, the one count of third-degree CSC that Elliott faced (a 15-year felony) was reduced to an additional fourth-degree.
All five counts are considered to be two-year misdemeanors.
The plea was reached last Tuesday (March 18) and Elliott is set to be back in court on April 28 for sentencing.
‘Obviously this is an abhorrent crime and we’d like to see a penalty that fits,? Narsh said, adding that he was happy with the outcome, particularly because the victim in the case would not have to take the witness stand.