COLORADO
The Coloradoan
By SARA REED
SaraReed@coloradoan.com
A former parishioner of a priest accused of sexual assault says she observed him behaving inappropriately with a preteen girl on Christmas Eve 2002.
The Rev. Timothy Joseph Evans, 43, faces two counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, one count of sexual assault on a child - pattern of abuse and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, all felonies. Evans was a priest at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 5450 S. Lemay Ave., from 1998 to 2002.
"Jokingly, he sat her on her lap, put his arm around her and asked 'How's it going, sexy?' " said Diane Brennan, who left the church in May. "It was not overt abuse but covert, inappropriate behavior."
The incident raised a red flag, Brennan said, but she did not report it to the Rev. Larry Christensen until several months later when another parishioner mentioned witnessing a similar incident.