The Michigan Court of Appeals has affirmed the sentence of a former Macomb County priest convicted of sexually abusing a teen boy, officials said.
A three-judge panel issued its decision Monday on the sentencing of Neil Kalina, 70.
“Defendant contends the trial court gave invalid reasons for its upward departure from the sentencing guidelines range,” the judges wrote in their opinion. “We disagree.”
The panel also said it disagreed with Kalina’s argument that the trial court relied on inaccurate information by stating he abused the victim for several years and he is entitled to resentencing as a result.
It also disagreed with his argument that the trial court made a “demonstrably false” claim that he never expressed any remorse when the court acknowledged his allocution at the beginning of its sentencing decision.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel praised the panel’s judgment.
“I am relieved that justice will continue to be served for the victim of this heinous assault,” she said about the opinion in a statement on Wednesday. “My office remains committed to holding abusers accountable and ensuring survivors are supported.”
Timothy Doman, Kalina’s attorney, said on Thursday that “the Court of Appeals’ decision is regrettably misguided, and we will be exploring further appellate options.”
His client is currently incarcerated at the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson, according to prosecutors.
The investigation and charges
Kalina was one of five priests charged by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office following its investigation into allegations that they sexually abused children. He was one of 11 clergymen who were charged following the probe.
Officials said Kalina served at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township from 1982 until 1985 and left public ministry in 1993. He moved to Littlerock, Calif., where he was arrested.
Prosecutors charged him with four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in May 2019. They alleged he provided alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana to a 14-year-old boy on several occasions in 1984. The youth said Kalina fondled him on at least four occasions.
A district court judge ordered the ex-priest to stand trial on the charges in 2021.
Kalina was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in 2022 after he was found guilty of two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
He appealed, and the Michigan Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction in April 2024, but the three-judge panel ordered resentencing after determining there was a technical error during the initial sentencing.
In January 2025, he was resentenced to serve seven to 15 years in prison. His sentence also includes an order for lifetime registration on the state’s sex offender registry, the attorney general’s office said.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
@CharlesERamirez
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Appeals court upholds former Macomb County priest’s sex abuse sentence
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
