The former owner of St. Joseph Dentistry has pleaded no contest to a felony seduction charge and two counts of assault and battery, closing out a case that once included nine separate criminal sexual conduct charges against him. Charles Howenstine entered the plea on Thursday, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7, 2026.
The plea agreement, reported by WNDU, resolves a case that began over a year ago with a Michigan State Police investigation into complaints from staff at Howenstine's St. Joseph dental practice. According to the outlet, charging paperwork identified the alleged victims as dental assistants who worked at St. Joseph Dentistry.
What the Charging Paperwork Described
Those documents, detailed in WNDU's earlier coverage, said dental assistants reported that Howenstine would regularly touch their buttocks. Another victim told investigators he grazed their thigh while they were treating a patient, per the charging paperwork cited in the station's reporting.
The case originally carried nine counts of criminal sexual conduct, stemming from a Michigan State Police investigation that started in late August 2025, the station's earlier report noted. ABC57 similarly reported that the investigation began in late August, and DrBicuspid's coverage of the arrest described the original charges as nine counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving force or coercion.
From Nine Counts to a Plea Deal
At the time of his arrest, the 45-year-old Howenstine was released on a $20,000 bond, according to the station's October 2025 report. DrBicuspid's account of the arrest added that he was placed under electronic monitoring as a condition of that bond. That earlier reporting was careful to note that Howenstine had not been found guilty of anything and had yet to go to trial — a presumption of innocence that held until Thursday's plea.
A no-contest plea does not admit guilt; in practice, it means Howenstine chose not to fight the state's case.
What the Charges Carry
The felony seduction charge Howenstine pleaded no contest to is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $2,500, under the statute published by the Michigan Legislature. The two assault and battery counts are misdemeanors.
Howenstine's case lands amid a string of recent allegations against medical and dental professionals in Michigan and beyond. A former Michigan State University doctor was recently reported to be facing criminal sexual conduct charges, with investigators continuing to examine the allegations against him, according to ClickOnDetroit.
Howenstine's sentencing is set for December 7. The dossier of court filings reviewed so far does not detail any sentencing recommendation tied to the plea agreement, and it remains unclear how the earlier nine criminal sexual conduct charges factored into the deal he ultimately accepted.
