Latest news with #TheExorcistFiles
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Yahoo
Exorcist priest accused of ripping out teen's hair, 'growling' in bizarre spiritual cleansing
A Michigan priest known for leading religious relic tours and hosting an exorcism podcast has been charged after allegedly placing a teenage girl's hair in his mouth and proceeding to floss his teeth with it. Father Carlos Martins, a member of the Catholic Church and the co-host of "The Exorcist Files" podcast, was charged with misdemeanor battery in Illinois for the incident in November. "The Exorcist Files" podcast, which is accompanied by a book with the same title, boasts of Martins' ability as an expert in exorcism and relays his personal stories. The incident unraveled during a relic of St. Jude's tour at the Queen of Apostles parish in Joliet, Illinois, on Nov. 21, 2024. Catholic Archdiocese Of Los Angeles Agrees To Pay $880M To Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors Martins "grabbed the hair" of a 13-year-old girl and placed it "in his mouth" in a "flossing motion," according to the criminal complaint, reviewed by Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App The Joliet Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that following the bizarre interaction, Martins proceeded to sit behind the teen girl and "make a growling noise." Following the interaction, the religious tour was promptly shut down, and local law enforcement were called to the scene to intercede. The priest was confronted by employees of the Diocese of Joliet, and he was told that "he must depart from our parish and out of our Diocese." "In an abundance of caution, the veneration of the relic and evening mass were canceled," the diocese said in a release. Martins was processed by the Joliet Police Department, arraigned, and released as he awaits his pretrial hearing, court records from the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Will County showed. Death Of Teacher With 20 Stab Wounds To Be Reexamined As Parents Settle With City Martins' next court date is set for Feb. 24, though he is not required to appear at that pretrial hearing, Will County officials said. In a statement, the Companions of the Cross, the religious order that Treasures of the Church is affiliated with, said Martins agreed to withdraw from his pastoral duties after the church was informed of the allegations. "He remains entitled to due process, as is any accused," the church said. "The Companions of the Cross look upon allegations of misconduct as an urgent matter that requires serious attention. We pray for all those who are affected by this painful situation." Martins' status with the Archdiocese of Detroit is now listed as "Ministry revoked," according to the church's website. Martins' attorney could not be reached for article source: Exorcist priest accused of ripping out teen's hair, 'growling' in bizarre spiritual cleansing
Fox News
08-02-2025
- Fox News
Exorcist priest accused of ripping out teen's hair, 'growling' in bizarre spiritual cleansing
A Michigan priest known for leading religious relic tours and hosting an exorcism podcast has been charged after allegedly placing a teenage girl's hair in his mouth and proceeding to floss his teeth with it. Father Carlos Martins, a member of the Catholic Church and the co-host of "The Exorcist Files" podcast, was charged with misdemeanor battery in Illinois for the incident in November. "The Exorcist Files" podcast, which is accompanied by a book with the same title, boasts of Martins' ability as an expert in exorcism and relays his personal stories. The incident unraveled during a relic of St. Jude's tour at the Queen of Apostles parish in Joliet, Illinois, on Nov. 21, 2024. Martins "grabbed the hair" of a 13-year-old girl and placed it "in his mouth" in a "flossing motion," according to the criminal complaint, reviewed by Fox News Digital. The Joliet Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that following the bizarre interaction, Martins proceeded to sit behind the teen girl and "make a growling noise." Following the interaction, the religious tour was promptly shut down, and local law enforcement were called to the scene to intercede. The priest was confronted by employees of the Diocese of Joliet, and he was told that "he must depart from our parish and out of our Diocese." "In an abundance of caution, the veneration of the relic and evening mass were canceled," the diocese said in a release. Martins was processed by the Joliet Police Department, arraigned, and released as he awaits his pretrial hearing, court records from the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Will County showed. Martins' next court date is set for Feb. 24, though he is not required to appear at that pretrial hearing, Will County officials said. In a statement, the Companions of the Cross, the religious order that Treasures of the Church is affiliated with, said Martins agreed to withdraw from his pastoral duties after the church was informed of the allegations. "He remains entitled to due process, as is any accused," the church said. "The Companions of the Cross look upon allegations of misconduct as an urgent matter that requires serious attention. We pray for all those who are affected by this painful situation." Martins' status with the Archdiocese of Detroit is now listed as "Ministry revoked," according to the church's website. Martins' attorney could not be reached for comment.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Detroit priest charged after allegedly placing minor's hair in his mouth during relic tour
A Detroit priest known for leading religious relic tours and hosting an exorcism podcast has been charged after allegedly placing a teenage girl's hair in his mouth and pretending to floss with it. Father Carlos Martins, a member of the Catholic Church and the co-host of "The Exorcist Files" podcast, was charged with misdemeanor battery in Illinois. Through Treasures of the Church, a Catholic ministry located in northwest Detroit, the priest was responsible for traveling with relics of saints to various locations and offering educational presentations. According to a Jan. 22 criminal complaint, Martins "made physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature" when he "placed the hair" of a minor "in his mouth." The incident occurred on Nov. 21, 2024, during the relic of St. Jude tour at the Queen of Apostles parish in Joliet, Illinois, according to a statement from the Diocese of Joliet. Several news outlets also reported that the priest later allegedly sat behind the teen in the pew and made growling noises. More: Winter storms expected to sweep across Midwest, coat metro Detroit roadways with ice Due to a lack of criminal history, a warrant for Martins' arrest was overturned when he appeared in court on Jan. 27 and pleaded not guilty. He was processed by the Joliet Police Department, arraigned, and released as he awaits his pretrial hearing, court records from the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Will County show. "In Illinois, batteries are not detainable, so he came in to quash the warrant," said the Will County assistant state's attorney, Laura Byrne. "The warrant was quashed and recalled, and his pre-trial conditions were modified to allow him to reside in Michigan and to have no contact with the victim." In a public statement, The Companions of the Cross, the religious order to which Treasures of the Church is affiliated, said Martins agreed to withdraw from his pastoral duties after the church was informed of the allegation. "He remains entitled to due process, as is any accused," according to the church. "The Companions of the Cross look upon allegations of misconduct as an urgent matter that requires serious attention. We pray for all those who are affected by this painful situation." More: Detroit help desk assisting immigrants closed by DOJ reopens after judge's order Martins' next court date is set for Feb. 24. The Free Press contacted Martins' attorney for comment, but the attorney declined to speak on the record. Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@ Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit priest accused of placing minor's hair in his mouth
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
Detroit priest allegedly attempted to use teen's hair to floss teeth
The Brief A Detroit priest during a visit to Illinois allegedly asked a teen to use her hair to floss his teeth. The priest is accused of grabbing the teen's hair and attempting to floss with it. If found guilty in Illinois, he could spend a year behind bars. DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Detroit priest and self-proclaimed exorcist is facing charges after allegedly attempting to use a 13-year-old girl's hair to floss his teeth with. The backstory Father Carlos Martins is from Detroit and is the star of a popular podcast named "The Exorcist Files," comparing his life to the movie "The Exorcist." He's a member of the Catholic Church and works and lives on Detroit's west side at the Companions of Cross Church. In November, Father Martins was visiting Illinois as a traveling priest. What they're saying There, it is alleged he approached a 13-year-old girl, asked about her hair, and specifically if she ever used it to floss her teeth with. "Then it's alleged that he then picked up her hair, placed it in his mouth and made a flossing motion," said Sgt. Dwayne English with the Joliet Police Department. Police say minutes later he sat in the pew behind her and started growling at her. "That was the allegation that was made by not only the young lady herself but the individuals that were around her at that time," Dwayne said. He turned himself in earlier this week on a misdemeanor charge of battery for grabbing the teen's hair and trying to floss with it. What's next FOX 2 spoke to the leader of "Companions of Cross Church" and confirmed Father Martins is currently not able to work with the public until his case works through the courts. If found guilty in Illinois, he could spend a year behind bars or on probation. The Source FOX 2 spoke with Sgt. Dwayne English with the Joliet Police Department and Companions of Cross Church.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
Priest accused of using teen girl's hair as floss as they waited in line to see a relic
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.'
