A man with a long history of working with church youth groups has been charged with sexual assault in Ionia County, according to the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office.
Trent Wesley Creighton, 53, was arraigned Jan. 14 on one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct (a felony) and three counts of aggravated indecent exposure (a misdemeanor), according to records in 64A District Court.
Creighton posted a $30,000 surety bond, but according to reporting from WOOD TV-8, that bond has since been revoked.
His attorney, Eric Matwiejczyk, declined to comment on the case, but WOOD reports Creighton walked into ICSO in October 2025 and “handed investigators a signed confession in which he admitted to sexually abusing relatives.”
In his letter, addressed to Ionia County Prosecutor Kyle Butler, Creighton reportedly described in detail “horrific sins” involving two minors dating back to 1997, with the most recent incident occurring “five or six years ago” — according to WOOD.
The letter included claims Creighton himself was molested as a child, though he reportedly said the note wasn’t meant to “cast blame or excuse my behavior.”
“I just want to pay for what I have done …” he reportedly wrote.
ICSO announced Creighton had been arrested and charged Feb. 4. According to WOOD, the prosecution has offered a plea deal under which Creighton would plead guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of indecent exposure. The former carries a potential sentence of life in prison.
The announcement from ICSO said Creighton has been involved in churches over the past two decades, “including working with youth groups” and sought additional tips, but WOOD reports the currently identified victims weren’t known to Creighton through church.
Anyone who knows of “any sort of inappropriate interaction” is asked to contact Detective Chelsea Kasul at 616-527-8259.
— Ken Palmer of The Lansing State Journal contributed to this report.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Man charged with sexual assault of multiple minors in Ionia County
Reporting by Cassandra Lybrink, Ionia Sentinel-Standard / Lansing State Journal
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