ROCHESTER (NY)
Catholic Courier
(Publication Date: 08-05-2005)
By Rob Cullivan/Catholic Courier
ROCHESTER -- During an Aug. 2 arraignment in City Court, Father Dennis R. Sewar pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to court documents, the alleged incidents of abuse took place between the end of October 1999 and August 2001, during which time Father Sewar was pastor of Rochester's Church of the Annunciation. Court documents state that the alleged victim was a teenage boy who claimed the priest repeatedly touched him in an inappropriate manner, and that the alleged abuse stopped when the boy turned 16.
Father Sewar, a diocesan priest who has been on administrative leave since mid-June, was arrested on the charges July 22.
City Court Judge John E. Elliott ordered Father Sewar to have no contact with his accuser. The priest is slated to appear in court again on Aug. 17. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison on each charge, according to his attorney, John F. Speranza.