January 1, Former Michigan House Speaker Accused of Sexual Assault

Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) has been accused of sexually assaulting a teenager for years.

Chatfield’s sister-in-law, now 27, filed a criminal complaint against him with the Lansing Police Department. She claims that Chatfield began sexually assaulting her when she was 15, attending Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church and the Northern Michigan Christian Academy School. Chatfield’s father is the past of the church and administrator for the school, according to the Lansing City Pulse.

During this period, Chatfield worked as an athletic director and government teacher at the school, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“She was a child,” said Jamie White, the woman’s attorney. “He used his power and position to take advantage of her.”

White previously represented many survivors of disgraced gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

According to MLive, the LPD referred the complaint to investigators in its Seventh District in northern Michigan.

Chatfield, 33, became Michigan’s youngest House speaker, which “he held until he was term-limited out of the House at the end of 2020,” the City Pulse reported.

Source:

Chatfield under criminal investigation for allegedly molesting a teenager