By Bob Byrne
The Patch
April 19, 2011
http://ardmore.patch.com/articles/montgomery-county-da-arrests-archbishop-carroll-athletic-director
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The longtime athletic director at Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor has been arrested on charges of unlawful contact with minors and corruption of minors, according to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Francis Murphy was arrested Friday and was being held on $250,000 cash bail.
Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman announced the arrest Monday. Ferman said Murphy is charged with "Unlawful Contact or Communication with a Minor, Promoting Prostitution, Corruption of Minors, Attempted Corruption of Minors, and related offenses."
Ferman said the arrest follows an investigation that was launched after a male student filed a complaint alleging that Murphy made sexually suggestive comments to the student on Facebook.
According to the district attorney, Murphy was arrested Friday after he arranged to meet with Montgomery County detectives who posed as the boy.
"On Friday, April 15, 2011, Montgomery County Detective units set up surveillance at Frosty Falls Ice Cream in Bridgeport," the district attorney said, in a statement. "At 10:35 a.m., Francis Murphy arrived at Frosty Falls and was subsequently arrested in the parking lot."
The full press release from the District Attorney is available here.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia confirmed Murphy who has been the school's athletic director since 1999 has been put on administrative leave, "which means he is relieved of all duties related to his employment within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia," according to Diocese Communications Director Donna Farrell.
According to Farrell, a letter was sent to school families via email today confirming the arrest. "The letter conveyed to parents how troubling this news is for the members of our school community," said Ms. Mary E. Rochford, Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. "It also reaffirmed our pledge to parents that the prevention of child abuse and protection of children is our primary concern."
Farrell said the letter offered information for resources to help families who may want to contact the Victim Assistance Office for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
In an telephone interview Farrell told Patch she did not know if anyone had contacted the Victim Assistance Office as of mid-afternoon. Farrell said the school "has received several calls in support".
The Archdiocese provided Patch with a copy of the letter sent to Archbishop Carroll families today. It reads as follows:
Dear Archbishop Carroll School Parents,
We are writing to inform you of a painful situation involving an administrator at our school. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office has arrested Mr. Francis Murphy, the Athletic Director of Archbishop Carroll High School, and charged him with unlawful contact with minors and corruption of minors. These illegal acts were allegedly initiated through the internet.
Mr. Murphy is now on administrative leave, which means he is relieved of all duties within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He has been athletic director at Archbishop Carroll since 1999 and also has served as the boys' baseball coach and offensive coordinator of the football team. He previously served as the boys' baseball coach and assistant football coach at Kennedy-Kenrick High School from 1996 to 1998. All of the required criminal background checks and child abuse clearances were in place.
This is a very troubling situation for all members of our school community. Please know that we join with you in concern for the safety of all of our children. Information for parents on internet safety can be found on the following websites:
Federal Bureau of Information Parent Guide
www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide/parent-guide
Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office of Catholic Education Parent Resources www.catholicschools-phl.org
We would like to direct your attention to Creating a Network of Prevention and Protection http://bit.ly/OCEPreventionandProtection. This Archdiocesan brochure provides you with information on the Archdiocesan efforts to prevent child abuse.
Should you need additional information or assistance you can contact the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at 1-888-800-8780 or philavac@adphila.org.
We ask that you keep all of those involved in your prayers.
Respectfully,
Father Edward Casey, President
Joseph L. Denelsbeck, Principal
Patch will continue to cover this story and will update this site as more information and details become available.
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