Profile Facts
- Name
- Harold Charles Depp
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Ordained
- 1959
- Status
- Convicted
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Harold Charles Depp walked away from his Detroit-area parish in 1963, and two decades later, the archdiocese learned he had been convicted of child sexual abuse in Alaska and was serving an eight-year prison sentence. Our clergy sexual abuse lawyers assembled this profile from the documented record so survivors can see the full, unusual history.
Depp is reported to be living. This page covers his disappearance, his Alaska conviction, the later California arrest, and the civil options Michigan survivors may still have.
Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Detroit
The Archdiocese of Detroit is Michigan’s largest diocese, one of seven statewide with Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw. Depp’s story shows how a priest could vanish from one diocese and reoffend far away, a pattern the Michigan Attorney General’s 2018 investigation sought to expose by collecting records across all seven. As a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer, White Law PLLC investigates cross-state histories like his.
Visiting priests, transferred priests, and priests who simply disappeared all raise the same question: what did the home diocese know? An attorney can help find the answer.
The Allegations Against Father Harold Charles Depp
Where He Served
Published records indicate that Depp, ordained in 1959, reportedly walked away from his parish in the Detroit archdiocese in 1963 and never returned. He was placed “on leave” but never officially left the priesthood. In the 1980s the archdiocese learned that in 1982 Depp had been convicted of child sexual abuse and was serving eight years in an Alaskan prison. He was arrested in California in 2003 on charges of abusing an 11-year-old boy in 1971 while serving as a visiting priest from Detroit; those charges were dropped on July 15, 2003, because of the statute of limitations. He was included on the Detroit archdiocese’s June 10, 2019, list of credibly accused priests.
Conviction and Later Charges
The 1982 Alaska conviction for child sexual abuse is a matter of court record: Depp served eight years in an Alaskan prison. The 2003 California arrest concerned alleged abuse of an 11-year-old boy in 1971 during a visit from Detroit, but prosecutors dropped the charges as time-barred. Depp is reported to be living, so where criminal law still permits, prosecution may be possible, and civil claims against him or the institutions connected to his ministry are available regardless.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal cases are brought by the government and can end in imprisonment; civil cases are brought by survivors and end in monetary compensation. A prior criminal conviction can powerfully support a later civil lawsuit.
Depp’s Alaska conviction is established fact, and he is reported to be alive, meaning criminal charges may still be pursued where the law allows, since Michigan sets no time limit for first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Survivors may also bring civil claims against Depp or the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
For civil lawsuits, Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally allows ten years from the abuse or until the survivor turns 28, whichever is later. Michigan imposes no statute of limitations on first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Abuse alleged in 1971 may seem ancient history, but survivors of that era are still coming forward today, sometimes only after learning, as Detroit parishioners did in the 1980s, that the priest had been convicted elsewhere. Discuss your timeline with an attorney before ruling anything out.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
An archdiocese that knew or should have known a priest had been convicted of child sexual abuse, yet left him on its rolls, may face liability for failing to warn, failing to prevent further abuse, covering up what it learned, or neglecting proper supervision. Survivors can seek damages for medical and therapy costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
For a free, confidential case review, contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195. You owe nothing unless we win.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.