March 16, 2006

Indictment of alleged fondling priest released

MARBLE FALLS (TX)
The Highlander News

By Angela Timmons, Highland Lakes Newspapers

The Burnet County grand jury indictment of a Roman Catholic priest, arrested in mid-December for allegedly groping a 16-year-old Burnet boy in a Marble Falls theater, was released Monday.

The indictment charges Father Paul Maurice Clogan with indecency with a child by contact. The indictment states Clogan “did then and there, with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of said defendant, intentionally or knowingly engage in sexual contact with MFPD #208, a child younger than 17 years and not the spouse of the defendant.”

Marble Falls Police Sgt. Glenn Hanson, who has led the investigation against Clogan since the Dec. 16, 2005, incident at Marble Falls’ Driftwood Theater, said the priest had been the priest at Horseshoe Bay’s St. Paul the Apostle Parish since August 2004.

Hanson said his investigation has involved documents from the Diocese of Austin, through which Clogan already was being investigated because of complaints from parishioners. A letter to Clogan from diocese Bishop Gregory Aymond informs the priest that he was to be transferred to lesser role in Austin effective Feb. 27, 2006.

Posted by kshaw at March 16, 2006 07:17 AM