Former Macomb County priest convicted of sexually assault will stay in prison, court rules

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld the sentence of a former Shelby Township priest convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old.

Neil Kalina was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2022 and was sentenced to 7-15 years behind bars. The Court of Appeals ordered a resentencing in 2024 due to a technical error, claiming the consideration of acquitted conduct had impacted the calculation of his sentencing.

In January 2025, Kalina was resentenced to 7-15 years in prison.

After another appeal was filed, the court affirmed the 2025 sentencing in June 2026.

Kalina was a priest at St. Kieran Catholic Church in Shelby Township from 1982-85. He was arrested in California in 2019 and remains lodged at the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson.