Former Soccer Coach Accused of Ignoring Child Sex Abuse Warnings at St. Mary’s School — Niles, Michigan Scandal Deepens

Citizens can help to create a child-protected world by talking openly, teaching safety, and listening carefully.

September 18, 2026

This article was last updated by Alisha Shrestha on September 18, 2026

Sarah Polega alleges that Mayor Nick Shelton stayed silent for 6 years while knowing all the details of St Mary’s child sexual abuse.

Shelton claimed that she was openly harassing him and didn’t care about her little Facebook investigation.

Child sexual abuse is a complex but essential subject.

It is any act where an adult or older child uses a younger child for sensual purposes. Abuse doesn’t mean only physical touch, but also includes showing sexual pictures, taking photos of them, or sexually talking to them.

Every child has the right to feel safe, and most of the time, the abuser is not a stranger but someone the child and family know and trust. It confuses and scares children into silence.

It’s everyone’s duty to report child abuse and contact local child protective services or the police. Some actions could save a child from further harm.

Niles Mayor and Former School Principal Accused of Ignoring Abuse Warnings

and a current city council member, Gretchen Butler Bertschy, are now connected to a burgeoning controversy concerning historical child sexual abuse at St. Mary’s School.

Sarah Polega has come forward with detailed accusations on social media with allegations of a years-long cover-up.

Polega claims that Shelton knew about the abuse at the Catholic school for six years but refused to act or advocate for victims.

According to her Facebook post, Shelton publicly mocked her efforts to expose the truth, rather than helping to find it.

She states he called her investigation a little Facebook project, liked comments that harassed her, and told her she was the reason the case was going nowhere.

Moreover, she alleges Shelton refused to ask the local paper to investigate, declined to urge police to take the accusations seriously, and never brought the matter before the City Council meetings.

He still, right now, claims I asked him to investigate this when I just asked him to make one post that would take 5 minutes and save lives.

Polega directly connects his inaction to City Council member and Mayor ProTeam Gretchen Butler Bertschy, who was the principal of St. Mary’s School for years.

Since she was 5, she had known Bertschy and studied with her child and stepson at St. Mary. Moreover, she was her former soccer coach.

Bertschy was aware of abuse allegations against former teacher Carl Peltz as early as 2005. She received a warning letter from a mother in 2008 stating that Peltz should not be around children, but she concealed it.

Moreover, Bertschy has always backed Shelton, and he would never have addressed the scandal if Polega had not forced it into the public eye.

Furthermore, Polega repeated a past accusation that Shelton did not legally reside in Niles at the time of his election as mayor.

The allegations have sparked outrage in the community, deepening a painful chapter for the city and the victims of St. Mary’s School.

When I first started going back to city council meetings, after I spoke out about certain public trustees misusing and abusing their government positions, Gretchen approached me. Mayor Nick Shelton followed behind her and sat down by us, right next to her— and you should have seen the death stare he gave her, a “shut up immediately” look. People on Facebook think Mayor Shelton is some kind of nice guy, but let me tell you — 99% of them have never sat in a council meeting or tried to challenge him. He’s a bully.

In Case You Didn’t Know

  • Sarah Polega is originally from Niles, Michigan, and lives in Montreal, Quebec.
  • She joined Michigan State University in 2026.

  • Check other Articles on

Ashish Maharjan, author at Players Bio, has been covering news with a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling. A writer with a passion for capturing the essence of athletic competition.

Related articles

May 6, 2026

May 5, 2026

May 5, 2026

May 4, 2026

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Comment: Please enter your comment! Name:* Please enter your name here Email:* You have entered an incorrect email address! Please enter your email address here

Δ

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Share article

    - May 6, 2026 A student-athlete at Edinburg High School, Sebastian Garcia, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Sebastian was a member of the Edinburgh Runnin' Bobcats...

    - May 6, 2026 A former baseball coach with deep ties to the Geauga County sports community has been arrested and charged with the rape of a child,...

    - May 5, 2026 Dr. Jack Walker Moore, who practiced medicine at SportsMED and served as the team doctor for Madison Academy, passed away on Friday. Moore was...

    - May 5, 2026 A mother of a child with autism and ADHD is speaking out after her son was bullied in a school bathroom, fought back in...

    - May 4, 2026 Every parent has been there. You hear the front door open, say a simple "hello," and get an eye roll or a grunt in...