By Mike Mcwilliams
WBIR
April 22, 2010
http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=119645&catid=2
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| Bill Casey's mug shot, after his arrest by Greene County authorities |
MARION - A former Catholic priest accused of molesting a boy in Western North Carolina made his first court appearance Wednesday in McDowell County.
William "Bill" Casey, 76, is charged with crimes against nature. He was arrested Monday in Greene County, Tenn., on a fugitive warrant from McDowell County. He returned to Marion on Tuesday, posted $5,000 bond and was released from custody.
Asheville attorney David Belser is representing Casey on the charge, said Capt. Vic Hollifield of the McDowell County Sheriff's Office. Casey was released after his court appearance and ordered to have no contact with children without adult supervision. Casey will return to court May 12 for a probable cause hearing.
The crime against nature charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, Hollifield said.
Authorities have not identified the victim, but Warren A. Tucker, of Jeffersonville, Ind., says he reported abuse by the priest to McDowell County authorities last September.
Tucker said the incident occurred when Casey, who was then pastor at St. Dominic Parish in Kingsport, Tenn., took him on a gem mining trip. It allegedly occurred while Casey and Tucker were staying at a McDowell County inn.
Tucker kept the abuse hidden for years. He questioned the $5,000 bond set for Casey, calling it "paltry."
Tucker said he hasn't filed a civil lawsuit over the alleged abuse.
"I have no chance of becoming a millionaire over it," he said. "This is a criminal matter to protect the children of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee from a very deceptive, dangerous predator. There is no question that $5,000 is a ridiculous sum to get out on the charges that he faces."
The bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, Richard Stika, said last week that Casey told church officials that molestation allegations made public by Tucker are credible, The Associated Press reported.
Casey was permanently suspended from Catholic ministry.
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