Will County prosecutors dismiss battery case against Catholic priest

A case in which a Catholic priest was charged with placing the hair of a girl in his mouth in Joliet has been dismissed by Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s office.

On Wednesday, Will County Judge Shenonda Tisdale granted a motion from prosecutors for deferred prosecution of the Rev. Carlos Martins, 50, of Houston and the dismissal of the misdemeanor battery case.

The Joliet Police Department conducted an investigation of a Nov. 21 incident in which Martins was accused of grabbing a 13-year-old girl’s hair, making a “flossing motion” with her hair in his mouth and making a “growling noise” while sitting behind her.

Martins is not a priest with the Diocese of Joliet. He was visiting the city at the time as part of a tour regarding the relic of St. Jude.

“A full investigation of this incident was completed by detectives, and the findings were submitted to the Will County State’s Attorney Office for their review. Following this review, they approved a charge of one count of misdemeanor battery,” Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

But Tisdale’s court order Wednesday said the “state has confirmed” that Martins has “never been charged with a crime, accused of a crime, accused of any allegations of impropriety with minors nor subject to any form of canonical discipline as a priest.”

“The state has confirmed that [Martins] is in full compliance with all safe environment and child protection training protocols required by his religious community, the Archdiocese of Detroit and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” according to Tisdale’s court order.

The state has “conferred with the alleged victim and complied with all notice and other requirements under the Illinois Crime Victims’ Rights Act,” according to the court order.

In response to questions about the court order, including whether the minor and her family in the case agreed with the dismissal of the case, a representative of Glasgow’s office declined to comment.

Martins was represented by retired Will County Judge Dave Carlson.

He also was represented by attorneys with the Burke Law Group, which has offices in Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; Houston; and Austin, Texas.

The law firm was founded by Marcella Burke, who has served as a board member for the Federalist Society Houston Lawyers Chapter for more than 10 years.

The Federalist Society is an organization of conservatives and libertarians that is “dedicated to reforming the current legal order,” according to its website.

In a statement, representatives of the Burke Law Group said the charge against Martins is “egregious and unfounded.”

“The evidence will show that [Martins] did not batter anyone. He did not put anyone’s hair in his mouth, let alone ‘floss’ with a student’s hair or ‘growl,’ among other completely false and repulsive accusations,” according to a statement from the Burke Law Group. “This remains a takedown of a good priest and attempted shakedown of the church.”