A jury trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 9 for the case against a Waterford Township Catholic priest accused of raping a young boy.

Father Joseph “Jack” Baker is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct - sexual penetration with a person less than 13 years old. The crime allegedly occurred sometime between February 2004 and June 2004 at a storage room in St. Mary Catholic Church in Wayne, involving a boy who was a second-grader at the time.

Baker, 57, is currently suspended from his duties as pastor of St. Perpetua Parish in Waterford and all public ministry, as ordered by the Archdiocese of Detroit.

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The Oakland Press is not identifying the victim of the alleged rape due to the nature of the offense.

At a preliminary exam in August, the alleged victim testified that he first disclosed the alleged rape to his girlfriend last October, and then his father. The alleged victim was subsequently interviewed by Special Agent David Dwyre, who’s involved in investigating allegations of clergy abuse for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

The attorney general received notification of the alleged crime from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Baker is being monitored by an electronic tether and has a $500,000 personal bond, which doesn’t require bail to be posted.

The trial will be held in Wayne County Circuit Court, with Judge Bridget Hathaway presiding. A final conference date prior to trial is scheduled for Oct. 30.

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