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	Jurors: Former Priest Guilty on All Counts of Sexual Abuse By Nate Morabito The TriCities July 15, 2011 http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/jul/14/jurors-former-priest-guilty-all-counts-sexual-abus-ar-1173546/ [with video] Unshaven and worn out, a relieved Warren Tucker sat on the steps of the Sullivan County Courthouse Thursday. "I've given it all and this took it all,” Tucker said. “I’m tired. I can't tell you whether I'll be healed tomorrow because of it." Just an hour earlier, jurors gave Tucker the support he’s been seeking for more than 30 years. After seven hours of deliberations over two days, a Sullivan County jury found former Catholic priest William Casey guilty of one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of aggravated rape. “(Casey’s) a master of deception,” Tucker said shortly after the verdict. “Obviously, people saw through it in Sullivan County, Tennessee, and I thank them.” Jurors convicted Casey for sexually abusing Tucker when he was just a teenager. The crimes occurred between 1978 and 1980 inside the old St. Dominic’s Catholic Church rectory and inside Tucker’s mobile home. "It’s been a long, hard road for us, but particularly for Warren Tucker,” Sullivan County District Attorney General Barry Staubus said. "I believed in Warren Tucker and I believed that what Mr. Casey did was an abuse of trust and it needed to be taken to a jury and he needed to be held accountable. This is one of the most emotionally draining cases I've had in my career.” Despite the verdict, Casey’s friends still stand behind the 77 year-old. "If that's what had happened, I have to accept it,” Regina Isenberg of Kingsport said. "A friend is a friend." While he was abusing Tucker, Isenberg said Casey was also looking out for her kids. She’s convinced Casey would have never hurt her sons. "I was widowed with three young boys and he was a father to my children,” Isenberg said. “He took them everywhere." As part of their verdict, jurors recommended a $50,000 fine for each count. Since the sentencing laws have changed in the last 30 years, Staubus is not ready to say for sure how much time the former priest could spend in prison. A judge will sentence Casey at a later date. Regardless, Staubus hopes the verdict sends a message. “If you think you can get away with molesting a child after a period of time you can’t,” Staubus said. “If you’re a victim of child abuse, don’t hold it in. Go to an advocacy center or group that can help you.” Casey will remain behind bars inside the Sullivan County jail until his bond hearing on July 22. At that hearing, Judge Robert Montgomery will decide whether or not to release Casey on bond pending his sentencing hearing. “From the first day that Warren Tucker brought this horrible crime to our attention, the Diocese of Knoxville has supported his efforts to seek justice,” Bishop Richard Stika wrote in a news release Thursday afternoon. “We are brokenhearted at the pain and tragedy Mr. Tucker has experienced over the past years, and we sincerely hope that today’s verdict will bring some healing to him.” Casey also faces charges of sexual abusing Tucker in Scott County, Virginia. He is set to go to trial there on September 27. The former priest also previously pleaded guilty to crimes against nature in North Carolina last year in regards to similar allegations brought forward by Tucker. Casey is serving probation for that crime. “He is evil, a coward, and a predator,” Tucker said. "I have nothing to say to a human being like that. The people have spoken for me."
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