February 12, 2005

Indiana priest denies Florida sex abuse allegations

GARY (IN)
Bradenton Herald

Associated Press

GARY, Ind. - A Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a Florida teenager more than a decade ago has denied the allegations through his attorney.

The Rev. Richard Emerson vehemently denies the allegations and has an unblemished 26-year record as a priest, said attorney James F. Gilbride of Miami.

In January, a 29-year-old man filed a civil lawsuit seeking unspecified monetary damages from the dioceses of Gary and Orlando, Fla. , alleging Emerson repeatedly molested him from the time he was 11 in 1986 until he was nearly 18.

Emerson was assigned to St. Charles Borromeo Church in Orlando when the abuse allegedly occurred on trips to Key West, Fla., Chicago, Colorado and Indiana over the seven-year period.

Posted by kshaw at February 12, 2005 02:20 PM