Catholic authorities in Detroit say they've dismissed an organ player after learning he'd been defrocked as a priest in northwestern Ohio in 1997.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit said Thursday that it's investigating how Herbert Richey became an organist at St. Margaret of Scotland parish in St. Clair Shores.

The Toledo diocese removed Richie from priestly duties in 1992, and he was laicized in 1997. He was accused of molesting children.

The Detroit archdiocese says it learned in 2002 that Richey was working as an organist at St. Joseph parish in Trenton and immediately dismissed.

Archdiocese spokesman Ned McGrath says the archdiocese will investigate how Richey managed to get the new position, calling it "unacceptable."

McGrath says it will try to assure "the situation does not happen again."