A priest has been arrested after allegedly using a 13-year-old girl’s hair as floss while waiting to see a relic, police said.
Carlos Martins was detained Monday following the November 21 incident, when officers arrived at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Joliet, Illinois, in the afternoon, police said in a statement. The church was hosting an exhibition and Mass as well as a national tour of the Relics of St Jude the Apostle.
The priest, who was visiting from Detroit as part of the St. Jude relic tour, is alleged to have approached the girl while she was in line to view the relic.
He’s reported to have asked about her hair before grabbing it and making a flossing motion in his mouth using the hair, according to the police statement.
The girl told police that Martins then sat behind her and made a growling sound, officials said.
Following an investigation, detectives submitted their report to the Will County State's Attorney's Office. The office approved a misdemeanor battery charge against the 50-year-old. He was detained on Monday morning, processed and subsequently released on a notice to appear.
The priest’s status with the Archdiocese of Detroit is listed as “ministry revoked.”
A hearing has been scheduled in Will County Circuit Court in Joliet for February 24.
Martins is known for performing exorcisms and hosting The Exorcist Files podcast, The Daily Mail noted.
Martins’ attorney, Marcella Burke, told Stella Maris Media that the charge against her client is “egregious and unfounded.”
“The evidence will show that Father Carlos did not ‘floss’ with a student's hair or ‘growl’ among other completely false and repulsive accusations,” said Burke.
The attorney went on to state that the allegations were “a takedown of a good priest and an attempted shakedown of the Church.”
“As he always does, Father Martins began his interaction with the attendees in ‘chit-chat’ dialogue. He is bald and apt to joke about it as a conversation starter,” Burke said in a letter obtained by OSV News.
“During his conversation with the older students, he made a comment to a student about her long hair, remarking, ‘You and I have almost the same hairstyle,’” she added.
“He then remarked that he also once had long hair like hers, and he joked he would ‘floss my teeth with it,’” Burke went on.
“He then asked the student, ‘Have you ever flossed with your hair?’ Laughing, she shook her head, no. He then said, ‘Well, you have the perfect length for it,’ as he lifted up a lock from her shoulders to show her its length. She giggled along with the others,” the attorney claimed.
Burke said in her November statement that when the teenager shared the story at home, her father “became upset by what he heard and called the police.”
The Companions of the Cross, Martins’ order, suspended him pending an investigation but subsequently stated that due process was needed.
“The Companions of the Cross look upon allegations of misconduct as an urgent matter that requires serious attention,” the order said in a statement, according to The Mail. “We pray for all those who are affected by this painful situation.”
