Charges Dropped against Former Chelmsford Priest
By Lisa Redmond
Charges have been dropped against a suspended priest, formerly from St. Mary's Parish in Chelmsford, who was accused of groping a man at a rest area in Canton two years ago. The Norfolk District Attorney's Office officially dropped a charge of indecent assault and battery against "Father Mike,'' the Rev. Emile Boutin Jr., 47, on July 29 in Stoughton District Court after Boutin's accuser refused to testify against the priest, according to Norfolk DA spokesman David Traub. "The victim asked the commonwealth that he not be compelled to testify,'' Traub said. The 21-year-old victim alleged that Boutin, a co-pastor at the Blessed Sacrament in Walpole, followed him into a wooded area behind the Route 138 Park and Ride lot at about 8:30 a.m. on June 28, 2010, and grabbed him inappropriately while the victim was trying to urinate. The victim told police that when he ran out of the woods, he watched Boutin run in to a Toyota. The victim wrote down the license-plate number, which police traced to Boutin. With the criminal charge dismissed, Boutin's future within the Archdiocese of Boston has not yet been decided. "We are grateful the legal process has been resolved. The Church has respected these proceedings throughout the course of the case out of respect for Fr. Boutin's rights,'' Terrence Donilon, spokesman for the Archdiocese, wrote in a statement. "At this time we will initiate the process by which we will make a determination regarding his status and future ministry in the Archdiocese. We continue to ask for the prayers of all impacted by these events, including the parishioners of Blessed Sacrament,'' Donilon wrote. Boutin, who was reportedly living with friends during his suspension, could not be reached for comment. Boutin, born and raised in Lowell, was ordained in Boston in 1991 and then served as parochial vicar at St. Mary's in Chelmsford from 1991 to 1996, where he was very involved in church music programs. Beatriz DesLoges, a St. Mary's parishioner and Boutin supporter, said she is glad the criminal case is over. "Although I am speaking for myself, I am just one of the thousands of persons whose life has been touched and positively changed in some way by Fr. Mike's selfless commitment and dedication through the many family-oriented, faith and community-building programs established in our parish during his assignment at St. Mary,'' she said. According to the Archdiocese of Boston, Boutin then served at St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood in 1996, then Immaculate Conception in Stoughton in 1999 before arriving at Blessed Sacrament in Walpole in 2004, where he was one of two priests. Contact: lredmond@lowellsun.comlowellsun.com
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