February 24, 2005

Retired priest indicted on sex-abuse charges

LOUISVILLE (KY)
The Courier-Journal

By Gregory A. Hall
ghall@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

The Rev. Edwin Scherzer will be arraigned Monday in Jefferson Circuit Court on charges that he sexually abused four boys in the late 1950s and mid-1960s.

Three of the four alleged victims previously filed lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, accusing the priest of abuse, and were part of the $25.7 million sex-abuse settlement that plaintiffs reached with the archdiocese in 2003.

A Jefferson County grand jury indicted Scherzer this week.

"It's a long time coming," Thomas Weiter, one of the accusers, said in a telephone interview.

Scherzer, 79, is ill, said Brian Reynolds, chancellor and chief administrative officer for the archdiocese. He would not discuss details, however, saying to do so would be inappropriate.

Posted by kshaw at February 24, 2005 08:00 AM