By Peter Laffin
CNA Newsroom, Jan 24, 2025 / 19:40 pm
Authorities investigating a sharply disputed incident at a talk given at an Illinois Catholic church by Father Carlos Martins have filed a misdemeanor battery charge against the well-known exorcist, relic expert, and podcaster, who denies the allegation.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday by the Will County state attorney general accuses Martins of “knowingly without legal justification by any means made physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with I.K., a minor, in that said defendant placed the hair of I.K. in his mouth.”
Martins’ lawyer, Marcella Burke, called the charge “egregious and unfounded.” The charge carries a penalty of a $100 fine.
“The evidence will show that Father Carlos did not ‘floss’ with a student’s hair or ‘growl’ among other completely false and repulsive accusations,” Burke said in a statement to Stella Maris Media, referring to media reports about the incident.
The allegations amount to “a takedown of a good priest and an attempted shakedown of the Church,” Burke said. “We are confident in the legal process and look forward to our client being fully exonerated. We will continue to vigorously defend his rights and reputation.”
The charge stems from an incident that allegedly took place on Nov. 21, 2024, while Martins, a priest of the Companions of the Cross order known for hosting the ”Exorcist Files” podcast, was meeting with students and school staff at St. Paul Catholic Church in Joliet.
Martins was visiting the area as part of his national touring exhibit of a relic of the arm of St.
