The former Michigan lawmaker, who has not been charged amid an ongoing police probe, is accused of sexually assaulting his sister-in-law for years beginning when she was a teenager
The father of Lee Chatfield is speaking out about the sexual assault allegations against his son, a former state legislator who served as one of Michigan's youngest-ever House speakers.
Chatfield's sister-in-law Rebekah Chatfield accused him in a recent criminal complaint of sexual assault she says allegedly began as unwelcome touching that escalated to unwanted sex from the time she was 15 until July 2021.
Lee, who has not been charged, has denied the allegations and vowed to "vigorously fight these false claims." His attorney says he had a consensual affair with Rebekah when they were both adults.
Rebekah, now 26, claims the abuse began when she was a student at Northern Michigan Christian Academy, where Lee, now 33, was a teacher and an athletic director at the time, and she attended the affiliated Northern Michigan Baptist Bible Church, where her father-in-law, Rusty Chatfield, is a pastor.
"He destroyed me, and has controlled my life since I was 15-16, the past 10-11 years," Rebekah told Bridge Michigan in a series of interviews, published Friday, about the allegations against her brother-in-law. "And I know the only way to get justice for this is to come forward and to file a criminal [complaint] against him."
Rusty, who has told reporters Rebekah's allegations aren't true, appeared to...
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