Michigan Woman Accused of Child Sex Crimes

(Cadillac, Michigan) A 42-year-old local woman and former substitute teacher, Patti Kaye Holdship, has been accused of multiple counts of child sex abuse and possession of child pornography involving two boys, ages 15 and 16.

Michigan State Police Trooper Marc Moore, the lead investigator in the case, said the allegations came to light in early May when the parents of the 16-year-old approached police with information that Holdship had had sexual contact with their son.

A followup interview substantitated (sic) the claim that Holdship did engage in sexual activity with the teenage victim in January, Moore said. In the course of the investigation, sexually explicit images of the defendant and victim were discovered. Moore said investigators found Holdship’s phone after getting a search warrant to search their residence, and they found evidence of the charges. Holdship was cooperative, and during an interview, disclosed the existence of a second victim, the 15-year-old. Her statements also revealed that inappropriate texts had been exchanged between herself and the second victim, Moore said.

The criminal sexual conduct charges stem from one incident with the 16-year-old, but in the case of the 15-year-old, the charges involve multiple sexual encounters and also texting and sexting during about 1 1/2 months between the fall of 2008 and March 2009. Although Holdship worked as a substitute teacher, Moore said he did not believe the relationship with the teenagers was linked to her position working for the Wexford Missaukee Intermediate School District, which maintains a pool of substitutes which may be assigned to any school in the ISD. The lead investigator also said he did not believe Holdship used her position as a substitute teacher to persuade or entice the boys to become involved with her.

Holdship was booked into custody and released on $50,000 bond.