A former Athens High School teacher will not be able to defend himself against accusations of sexually assaulting a student of his by claiming the girl was a willing participant.
According to the Michigan State Police, their investigation revealed that the Reverend Strick Strickland from the Second Baptist Church paid four victims under the age of 17 to have sex with him at his family home.
This new arrest is similar to one announced Thursday; both cases involve Battle Creek men out on parole for sex crimes, who have been busted for allegedly possessing child sexually abusive material on a cell phone.
Jason Bushong had pleaded no contest to first-degree criminal sexual conduct in October for grooming a 15-year-old student and engaging in a lengthy relationship with her, having sex with her multiple times. He also allegedly attempted to approach other young girls.
An Albion man, who is said to be a person of interest in the 2004 disappearance of Mary Lands, has been arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a teenager.