Farwell, Michigan, pastor charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct against boy under 13

Harold Norman Cole Jr., 57, the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Farwell, Michigan, has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. According to a 2021 report, the alleged victim is not believed to have been a member of the church. The charge is an allegation that has not been proven in court, and Cole is presumed innocent unless and until a court finds otherwise.

The alleged victim lives in another state and reported the abuse to authorities there, which led to an investigation by the Clare County Sheriff’s Office. The 2021 report states that the abuse allegedly occurred between June and August 2021, when the victim was under 13 years old, and that the victim alleges Cole used force or coercion to initiate unwanted sexual contact. The same report says the sheriff’s office was notified of the allegations in March. A 2024 report, citing the Clare County Sheriff’s Office, gives a different timeline, stating that an investigation began on March 5, 2024. The two accounts do not reconcile these dates, and this article does not resolve the difference.

According to the 2021 report, Cole was arrested on October 31 and arraigned the following day. He was released on November 4 after posting a $20,000 bond and was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device. The 2024 report describes the arraignment differently, saying Cole was arraigned in the 80th District Court on one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. It states that the charge involves sexual contact with force or coercion, or with a victim under 13 years of age, and that the offense is punishable by up to 15 years in prison upon conviction. That report gives the release terms as a $20,000 or 10% bond, which differs from the 2021 account of a $20,000 bond.

The protection of children from sexual abuse is a serious duty for every community, including its churches, and the allegations here concern a young child who lived outside the state at the time of reporting (Psalm 82:3). The reports do not describe any finding by a court, and no plea or verdict is reported in either source. Cole’s case has been described as proceeding through the courts, and the charge remains an accusation.

Cole is currently wearing a GPS tether, according to the 2024 report.