Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is ready to help local prosecutors delve into an expansive investigation that chronicled decades of sexual misconduct allegations at a prestigious Up North arts camp and school.
The offer comes as the Grand Traverse County prosecutor and sheriff grapple with a law firm's report that includes 70 first-hand accounts of abuse and exploitation against 47 former staff members and others connected to Interlochen Center for the Arts.
"It has been reported that Interlochen intends to provide information from the report to their local law enforcement and prosecutor’s office, in Grand Traverse County. Our office has reached out to the Grand Traverse County Prosecutor’s Office and offered to assist in any way useful
to their efforts," Nessel spokesman Danny Wimmer told the Free Press Thursday, July 30.
Interlochen hired a Massachusetts-based law firm in 2024 to investigate allegations of abuse; the firm released the report Tuesday, July 28. While almost all of the allegations occurred before 2000, many reference what would appear to be criminal conduct.
On Tuesday, Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg told the Free Press she received a copy on Monday. While Interlochen officials told the Free Press they provided the names of all 47 accused to the prosecutor's office, they did not specifically provide that information to the sheriff.
Typically, the sheriff or other local law enforcement would investigate allegations of criminal activity and present their findings to the prosecutor for possible charges.
Early Thursday, July 30, a spokeswoman for Interlochen said they believed the prosecutor shared the names of the accused with the sheriff's office.
"Interlochen took steps to ensure that all alumni were provided contact information for the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office. At our request, the external investigator encouraged all impacted alumni to contact law enforcement directly to understand their rights with respect to reporting to external law enforcement agencies," spokeswoman Maureen Oleson said in an emailed statement.
"We have been in communication with the prosecuting attorney throughout and have committed to share information in support of our shared goal of protection of minors and individual accountability, including seeking additional information from the investigator in response to any law enforcement request."
'If we can find a victim and the victim wants to file a complaint, we will investigate it'
On Wednesday, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea told the Free Press he has the public report. But, it does not include the names of any of the former students who reported abuse and almost none of the accused. Of the accused who are named, four are dead and one was already criminally convicted.
"The sheriff's office, in conjunction with the prosecuting attorney, will attempt to utilize that report with additional information information that hopefully will be provided through the investigators to identify any viable victims and/or complaints to be investigated moving forward," Shea said.
"If we can find a victim and the victim wants to file a complaint, we will investigate it."
It remains unclear whether any of the alleged misconduct in the report will lead to a criminal prosecution. Different crimes have different statutes of limitations; the underlying facts of each alleged instance of sexual abuse, from the age of the victim to whether force was used, could play a role in whether prosecutors can ultimately pursue charges.
The ability to sue for civil damages is also restricted. As state Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, noted in a news release this week, survivors of abuse when they were a child have until they turn 28 or three years after they realize they were a victim of criminal sexual conduct to bring a civil lawsuit.
“Here in Michigan, we’ve seen devastating report after devastating report exposing widespread sexual abuse and institutional cover-ups — from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University to the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church. Now, we have yet another report detailing decades of alleged sexual abuse at Interlochen," Hertel said in a statement.
“While each and every case described in these reports is heartbreaking, they also share another tragic reality: far too many of these survivors have been denied their day in court because our outdated and restrictive statute of limitations has already closed the door on justice.”
Legislation to expand limitations previously passed the state Senate but failed to garner a vote in the state House.
Dave Boucher is an investigative reporter with the Detroit Free Press. Reach him at dboucher@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: AG Nessel offers to help local law enforcement on Interlochen investigation
