Battery charge filed against priest on tour in Joliet last year

A charge has been filed against a visiting priest who was on a relic tour in Joliet last year, accusing him of placing the hair of a 13-year-old girl in his mouth, court records show.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of Carlos Martins, 50, of Houston, Texas, on a misdemeanor charge of battery that was filed Thursday at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

The charge is a Class A misdemeanor and punishable by up to a year in jail. The warrant for Martins required him to appear before a judge for a pretrial detention or conditions of release court hearing.

In November, Martins was in Joliet as part of a tour showing the relic of St. Jude for public veneration, according to a statement from the Diocese of Joliet.

Martins is not a priest with the Diocese of Joliet. He was a priest with the Companions of the Cross, which is based in Canada.

An incident occurred between Martins and some students. The police were contacted, and Martins was asked to leave, diocesan officials said.

The Herald-News contacted the Companions of the Cross about the battery charge Thursday but received no response.

On Friday, the organization posted a statement on its website saying that Martins “agreed to withdraw from his pastoral ministry,” and he remains “entitled to due process, as is any accused.”

Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said the defendant listed in the case is the same Father Carlos Martins who was suspected of inappropriately touching the hair of a 13-year-old girl while at the location as part of a relic tour in Joliet.

“An investigation of the incident was completed by detectives and submitted to the Will County State’s Attorney Office for their review,” English said. “Following this review, they approved a charge of one count of misdemeanor battery. No arrests have been made in this incident.”

The criminal complaint alleged that on or about Nov. 25, Martins “knowingly without legal justification” made physical contact of an “insulting and provoking nature” with the girl.

The complaint alleged that Martins “placed the hair” of the girl “in his mouth.”

As of Friday afternoon, Martins' attorney, Marcella Burke, had not yet responded to messages from The Herald-News about the case.

Last year, Burke provided a copy of a letter sent to Catholic news website The Pillar that claimed Martins was “building rapport” when he joked about whether a female student flossed her teeth with her hair and then touched her hair.

Diocese of Joliet officials said the narrative put forth by Martins' attorneys is “incomplete” and declined to comment further.