Michigan State Police are investigating the former Speaker of the Michigan House Lee Chatfield when his sister-in-law filed sexual assault charges against him.
- The now 27-year-old woman alleges that Chatfield sexually abused her for about 12 years, beginning when she was 15 and attending Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church and the Northern Michigan Christian Academy School.
- Chatfield’s father, Rusty, is the pastor of the church and the administrator for the school. The alleged sexual exploitation continued until July 2021.
- Before Chatfield ran for the House in 2014, he was a teacher at the school, as well as the men’s soccer coach and the athletic director.
The 33-year-old Chatfield became Michigan’s youngest house Speaker in 2019 and was term limited out in 2020. Chatfield was known for his anti-LGBTQ views and opposed LGBTQ legislative protections during his tenure.
The woman is represented by Jamie White, who represented dozens of women in the Larry Nassar sexual assault civil suits and currently represents men suing the University of Michigan over the alleged sexual abuse of Dr. Robert Anderson and former scouts suing Boy Scouts of America over alleged sexual abuse.
White indicated that there were also financial allegations against Chatfield.
As Speaker of the House, Chatfield and Michigan Senate Leader Mike Shirkey met with the former guy in November 2020 at the White House amid attempts by Trump to pressure state leaders to undermine election results. Biden won in Michigan by 154,000 votes.
