Former Macomb County priest sent to prison for sex abuse

A former Macomb County priest will spend years in prison after being convicted of sex abuse, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday.

Judge Diane Druzinski sentenced Neil Kalina, 67, to up to 15 years in prison after the former priest was convicted on two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC) by a jury in Macomb County Circuit Court last month. Kalina was a priest at St. Kiernan Catholic Church in Shelby Township from 1982-1985.

“This is a victory for the survivors who fought to see their abusers held accountable,” said Nessel. “Regardless of how much time has passed or how difficult a case may be, my prosecutors are committed to securing justice for the victims of clergy abuse. Adults who prey upon and subject children to abuse belong in prison.”

Kalina was first charged in May 2019 and arrested in Littlerock, California. The jury was also presented first-degree CSC and rendered a not guilty verdict to that charge.

In total, 11 people have been charged and six of those convicted since the beginning of the Department of Attorney General’s Clergy Abuse Investigation.

To learn more about?Nessel’s?investigation into clergy abuse or to submit information,?visit the Attorney General’s website at www.michigan.gov/ag. Tips can also be provided by calling?844-324-3374.