CENTREVILLE, MI (WTVB) – St. Joseph County prosecutors have filed embezzlement charges against a former Branch County Catholic priest. Reverend Richard Fritz is accused of stealing over $213,000 from St. Mary’s Assumption in Bronson and St. Barbara Mission in Colon.
A pre-examination conference has been scheduled for next Tuesday. A preliminary hearing is set for May 16, 2017. Fritz is currently free on bond.
The allegations surfaced last year and led to an investigation by the Michigan State Police. Fritz resigned last October following an investigation into questionable accounting practices between 2010 and 2016.
In a statement released by the Diocese of Kalamazoo on Wednesday, it was stated that Father Fritz has since transitioned into full retirement. The statement added that while he is still a priest, Fritz is not currently active in public ministry.
The statement concluded by saying “the Diocese will continue to cooperate with authorities as this matter progresses through the court system. It remains committed to financial restitution for the Parishes involved. We continue to hold all parties involved in prayer.”
An attorney for the Diocese of Kalamazoo said last fall that the 70-year-old Fritz admitted to writing himself checks but said the checks were for reimbursement. His access to parish funds was removed last June. Fritz was ordained in 1975.
