Chapman
By: Brian Wells | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published June 22, 2022
ROSEVILLE — A former Roseville man facing charges after an investigation into the Boy Scouts of America was found competent to stand trial.
After being arraigned March 28, Mark Chapman, 52, of New York, formerly of Roseville, was referred for a competency evaluation. District Court Judge Alyia Hakim found him competent to stand trial in a hearing Wednesday, according to a press release from the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
Chapman is facing eight counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges allege that Chapman assaulted two young people while being involved with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America.
The first case includes six of the second-degree charges. The abuse began in 2000 and involved a person who was approximately 13 years old, Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a March press conference. It continued until he was 17 years old and a senior in high school, Nessel said.
The second case involved a family member who was around 11 years old, a press release from March states. The abuse went on for years and often revolved around times that were designated as special opportunities for Chapman to spend time with the boy, the attorney general alleges.
While the statute of limitations for first-degree criminal sexual conduct has changed from a six-year limit to no limit, because Chapman no longer resides in Michigan, the statute would have stopped, according to the March press release. Chapman moved to New York in 2007.
The charges were announced March 9 by Nessel. The investigation into the Boy Scouts of America was announced at the beginning of June 2021 as a partnership between the attorney general’s office and Michigan State Police.
Around the time charges were filed, Chapman was incarcerated in New York on other criminal sexual conduct convictions, Nessel said. His arraignment was held after he was extradited from New York.
A call to Chapman’s attorney, Samuel Bennett, was not immediately returned.
A new probable cause conference has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. June 29. Chapman continues to be lodged in the Macomb County Jail. He was not given a bond on the first-degree charges but was given a $300,000 cash or surety bond on the second-degree charges.
The attorney general’s office asks anyone with information about the Boy Scouts of America that might help the investigation to call a tip line at (844) 324-3374 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Tips can be left anonymously.