Former United Pentecostal Church minister Kelsey Carlen-St-Clair Cook, born March 22, 1992, was convicted on March 6, 2026 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13 (750.520B2B). This was case 2024-0000001014-FC in the 37th Circuit Court of Calhoun County, Michigan.
On May 11, 2026, she was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison, with a maximum of 60 years, and was credited with 70 days spent in jail. She has been serving her time in the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti.
Her parents are Gary and Carol Cook, and Gary is pastor of the Apostolic Church of Flat Rock, Michigan, a legally affiliated UPCI church where Kelsey Cook was very involved.
Please refer to our first post on this case, as well as Part 2 and Part 3, which are two posts with UPCI pastor Austin Hopper’s statements.
This article will cover her appeal, and will be periodically updated until it concludes.
As expected, as this usually happens in the criminal cases I have covered, her case was appealed on June 11, 2026. This is the Court Of Appeals Case 381184.
She is no longer being represented by Shannon Marie Smith. Her new attorney is Mark A. Linton, whose practice focuses solely on criminal appeals and post-conviction relief. He requested a transcript of the trial and the sentencing hearing.
On June 12, 2026, the court sent out a defective holding file letter to all parties and listed the appeal as “Incomplete Filing – Criminal (Holding).” The Court of Appeals Internal Operating Procedures PDF file explains that if the claim of appeal lacks something which is required, “a computer-generated ‘defect’ letter may be issued to advise the appellant that the additional documents must be filed, or fee paid, within 21 days.” In addition it explains that, “Once a docket number is assigned to a case, that file is reviewed for critical filing defects and jurisdictional concerns. If there is a jurisdictional concern or if defects have not been corrected in response to a defective filing letter from the clerk’s office, the matter may be referred for possible dismissal.”
As new information becomes available, this article will be updated.
I originally posted about this on June 18, 2026 on our Facebook Page.
You will find a complete list of articles in this series by clicking here.
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