GRAND MARAIS – A volunteer formerly involved with a youth program at the Grand Marais Evangelical Free Church pled guilty last week as part of a plea deal that would keep him from serving time behind bars.
Micah Avery, 31, was arrested in January and charged with harassment of a minor, engaging in electronic communication relating to sexual conduct with a child, and coercion. The misdemeanor coercion charge was dropped in June, one month before Avery reached a plea deal July 27 with the Cook County Attorney’s Office that would, among other things, keep Avery from serving time in prison.
Charging documents and court records reviewed Oct. 12 by the Northshore Journal show that in 2025 Avery became engaged in frequent communication with at least two teenage girls he met through a youth program at the church in Grand Marais.
Avery, a longtime Cook County resident, took the communication to an inappropriate level, according to court documents, including harassing messages, along with threats of blackmail and violence to himself if the girls didn’t comply with Avery’s desire for communication. Court documents also reveal that Avery made physical contact with at least one of the girls, including unwanted embraces and kissing her on her cheek.
Part of Avery’s plea deal includes lowering one of the felony charges to a misdemeanor, while the other involves a legal term known as a “stay of adjudication,” which means that if Avery abides by certain rules and four years of probation, he will not have to go to prison for these crimes.
Sentencing for Avery took place Oct. 9 at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais. The Duluth Monitor, an online platform that prides itself on “bare knuckle” style journalism, attended the hearing and shared a report online last weekend. Some local residents said they were unwilling or unable to read the Monitor’s report as it is behind a paywall.
In reviewing court documents Oct. 12, the Northshore Journal observed that one teen involved in the matter said Avery began messaging her more and making unwanted physical advances throughout 2025. According to the criminal complaint, the teen told investigators that last October Avery placed his hand under her shirt while they were sitting inside his vehicle. The complaint states the minor reported additional physical contact while inside Avery’s vehicle, including rubbing her back and hugging.
The document says Avery would follow one of the teen girls using Snapchat, a social media platform. After tracking the teen, Avery “would watch” the teen “from a distance,” court documents read.
After one of the teens started to grow weary of the situation and limited messages, Avery then allegedly began texting her, complaining about the reduced interactions and threatening to spread gossip about the teen. Avery, according to court documents, told the teen he would kill himself if they did not respond to messages.
Local authorities said they learned of the incidents and Avery’s behavior when the teens reported them to church leaders, as well as to their parents, who then reported it to law enforcement. Two local families filed restraining orders against Avery in January on behalf of their children, who were 15- and 16-year-old girls at the time of the filings.
In February, the Grand Marais Evangelical Free Church issued a public statement distancing itself from Avery and the behavior he exhibited.
“Church leadership then took additional steps to notify all relevant parties and immediately barred Micah from entering church premises or participating in any church activities,” the statement read.
