Michigan's former GOP speaker accused of molesting teenage girl

Republican Lee Chatfield, who served as speaker of Michigan's state House through 2020, stands accused of molesting a teenage girl who attended his church.

The victim, now Chatfield's sister-in-law, has filed a criminal complaint against him with the Lansing Police Department — which the city has referred to the Michigan State Police, according to CityPulse.

Now 27, the victim alleges the assaults began when she was 15 and continued until July 2021. When the abuse began, she attended Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church as well as the Northern Michigan Christian Academy School.

"Chatfield’s father, Rusty, is the pastor of the church and the administrator for the school," CityPulse reports. "Before Chatfield ran for the state House in 2014, he was a teacher at the school, as well as the men’s soccer coach and the athletic director."

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Chatfield, known for his anti-LGBTQ politics, was elected to the state House in 2014. He became the state's youngest speaker of the House in 2019.

"He briefly served as CEO of Southwest Michigan First, an economic development group in the Kalamazoo area. However, controversy over his anti-LGBTQ politics led him to resign the position last February," CityPulse reports. "During his time in the Legislature he was also arrested at the Pellston Airport in northern Michigan for attempting to bring a loaded handgun onto an airplane. He did not face criminal charges for the incident, but did have to pay a fine for having an unregistered firearm as well as a fine to the Transportation Security Administration."

Chatfield couldn't be reached for comment.

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