Murfreesboro, TN - In a recent development, a past case involving a former employee at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church resurfaced in the courts, this time for an appeal. Michael D. Lewis, convicted on charges related to sexual misconduct, sought an appeal after being found guilty two years ago.

Documents, electronically filed in the Appellate Court Clerk's office just 43 days ago, reveal Lewis's attempt to appeal his conviction. The 45-year-old was originally charged in 2020 with 4 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and 10 counts of statutory rape by an authority figure. Once in court, Lewis negotiated a plea under a guilty conviction to 4 counts of statutory rape, resulting in a five-year sentence for each of the 4 counts in 2022, equaling 20-years in prison (TDOC). 

According to the Procedural History, as found in the Petition for Post Conviction Relief, "Within the plea hearing, Mr. Lewis waived, both orally and in writing, all of the rights guaranteed to criminal defendants under the United States and Tennessee Constitutions. He conceded that the factual allegations announced by the State that support four counts of statutoiy rape by an authority figure were essentially true." 

Lewis, who worked in religious education at Saint Rose, faced charges stemming from actions that occurred between 2013 and 2016, when he served as a religious education director at the church.

In the appeal process, Lewis claimed that his conviction resulted from an unlawfully induced guilty plea and that he was denied effective legal assistance. Another focus of the appeal was on alleged video evidence from the sacristy of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, a room where Holy items are stored.

Lewis argued that several videos could have exonerated him, emphasizing the lack of effective assistance of counsel. However, during the hearing, it was revealed that Lewis did not produce any such videos for the Court to review, and there was no credible proof that such videos even existed.

The Court rejected the claims brought by Lewis, stating he failed to prove ineffective legal assistance and concluding that his conviction was not based on an unlawfully induced guilty plea. During the hearing, Lewis's credibility was called into question, further contributing to the denial of his petition for Post-Conviction Relief.

The official end date for Lewis's sentence is on April 18, 2041 when he is 62.