Diocese Removed Timothy Evans, 44
By Chris Barge
Rocky Mountain News [Fort Collins CO]
March 27, 2007
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5445404,00.html
A jury in Larimer County on Monday convicted former Catholic priest Timothy Evans of sexual assault on a child.
Evans, 44, is the first priest to be convicted in Colorado since sweeping allegations of abuse by the clergy surfaced nationwide in 2002, leading to broad reforms within the church.
The jury found Evans guilty of pinning a 17-year-old boy while wrestling with him on his bed in the church rectory then caressing him under his boxer shorts. They found him guilty on one other occasion of grabbing the boy's buttocks with both hands for 20 seconds while hugging him goodbye.
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| Evans faces a second sex-assault trial Monday. |
The jury was handed the case late Friday afternoon and recessed for the weekend. It reached its decision after about two hours and 20 minutes of deliberation Monday.
Jurors found Evans guilty of two counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. They also found him guilty of behaving in a pattern of abuse.
Evans allegedly committed the acts early in his tenure at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Fort Collins, where he served from 1998 until the Archdiocese of Denver removed him in 2002.
"I express my sorrow for anyone who has been harmed by Timothy Evans' actions," Archbishop Charles Chaput said in a statement Monday. "On behalf of the Archdiocese of Denver, I offer my prayers for the victims and for Timothy Evans. We hope the conclusion of this trial begins a process of healing for all those affected by these sad events."
During the trial, the victim and three other male witnesses testified that Evans caressed them inappropriately. The victim and two of the other witnesses were minors at the time.
Evans faces 10 years to life in prison when he is sentenced May 30.
He is set for trial Monday in Jefferson County on another charge of sexual assault on a child. Prosecutors say it stems from Evans' time from 1995 to 1997 at Arvada's Spirit of Christ parish.
Contact: bargec@rockymountainnews.com or 303-954-5059
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