Jury Convicts Church Daycare Volunteer of 4 Criminal Sexual Conduct Charges

A Troy man will be sentenced May 7 in Oakland County Circuit Court on four counts of criminal sexual conduct at a daycare for preschool-aged children.

James Patrick O’Connell, 60, was arrested last August after Troy police concluded their investigation of allegations that a volunteer at St. Augustine Lutheran Church’s daycare facility had sexually abused multiple children over the past several years.

O’Connell was found guilty of two counts of first-degree sexual conduct and two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in the jury trial that began April 7 and concluded Monday, The Oakland Press reports.

O'Connell is a lifelong Michigan resident who had attended St. Augustine for more than 20 years prior to the allegations. He was removed as a volunteer at the daycare when the allegations surfaced.

St. Augustine Lutheran Church’s day-care facility, located at 5475 Livernois Road, serves children preschool and pre-kindergarten children.

O’Connell was free on $500,000 bond at the time of his conviction. Oakland Judge Wendy Potts revoked his bond following his conviction. He was ordered to provide a DNA sample and jailed.

Related:

• Volunteer Accused of Sexual Assault Removed from Church Preschool
• Troy Police Investigate Possible Sex Assault at Church Daycare Facility
• Troy Man Arrested and Charged in Sexual Assault Case from Church Preschool