ROCHESTER (NY)
WHAM
Chalonda Roberts (Rochester, NY) 08/02/05 - Reverend Dennis Sewar says he is not guilty in the charges of molesting a 14-year-old boy, and offered no comment as he left court Tuesday. His attorney said the charges of sexual abuse will be defended vigorously.
Sewar’s attorney John Speranza said, "He denies the charges…indicates that they never happened."
In court documents, the teen boy claims he met Sewar while Sewar was a priest at the Church of the Annunciation on Norton Street in Rochester. He said they became friends during a church trip to the Hard Rock Cafe in Canada.
The teenager claims that after the trip, Sewar invited him to his room in the rectory.
In a statement to police the accuser wrote: “After a few weeks Fr. Dennis would rub my hand as we sat on a double sized recliner. At first I felt okay but after a couple of weeks I became uncomfortable with this and would pull my hand away from him. Sometimes he would let me be, but other times he would grab my hand back and continue to rub it.” The youth went on to say that later in the year Sewar fondled him.
Sewar's attorney questions why the alleged victim took so long to come forward.