Catholic priest in Louisiana charged with child sexual abuse

Catholic priest in Louisiana charged with child sexual abuse Korey LaVergne, 37, of Lafayette diocese, charged with three counts of felony indecent behavior with a juvenile A Roman Catholic priest in the south-west Louisiana diocese where the US church’s clergy abuse scandal effectively started decades ago has been formally charged with three counts of felony indecent behavior with a juvenile. A bill of information from the district attorney for Acadia parish charges 37-year-old Korey LaVergne with three counts of felony indecent behavior with a juvenile who was 15 at the time of the alleged offenses. Court documents charge LaVergne with “willfully, unlawfully, knowingly and intentionally lewd or lascivious acts upon juvenile” – or in the presence of the minor – on or about 1 January 2024. The charges contend that LaVergne had the “intention of arousing or gratifying the sexual desires of either person”. A document dated 11 March filed by LaVergne’s attorneys state that the clergyman opted to waive his formal arraignment and in writing pleaded not guilty to the charges outlined in the bill of information. LaVergne is a priest for the diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana . Another Lafayette diocese priest named Gilbert Gauthe brought the Catholic clergy abuse crisis to the US’s collective conscience by pleading guilty in 1985 to molesting several boys he encountered through his ministry. He served 10 years in prison, now lives in Texas, and has continued to be named in civil lawsuits from victims seeking damages from the Lafayette diocese over their abuse at Gauthe’s hands. LaVergne’s formal charges came after he was arrested in mid-January on the same three counts referred to in the bill of information. At the time, records showed that LaVergne, the pastor at St Edward Catholic church in the community of Richard, posted bail of $15,000 less than 90 minutes after being jailed. That secured his release from custody while the case proceeds. A week after his arrest, the Guar...