Priest Accused of Soliciting Sex from Minors Online, Deputies Say
By Alex Mazer
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Columbus Priest was arrested Wednesday evening for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor online, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Patrick Hughes, 56, has been arrested by the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force and charged with attempted rape and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Detectives said the investigation began early Wednesday morning after Hughes allegedly posted an ad on an adult social networking site. According to investigators, the nature of the ad indicated Hughes was looking for sexual relations with children. A detective responded to the ad and began communicating with Hughes. During the conversation, Hughes believed he was setting up a meeting with two boys, ages 9 and 14, to engage in sexual activity, according to the sheriff’s office. Hughes arranged to meet the young boys at a location in Franklin County, officials said. Upon arrival, he was arrested by deputies. Franklin County Sheriff Zach Scott said Hughes was arrested Wednesday night when he was supposed to be presiding over a Bible study class. At the time the arrest, detectives learned that Hughes is an interim Priest at The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral on North High Street in Columbus. Detectives searched a hotel room registered to Hughes in north Columbus where they found a laptop computer. The computer was seized as possible evidence. Hughes was previously a Priest at a church in Galion, Ohio. Anyone with information regarding Hughes is asked to contact the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children task force at 614-525-3448. The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral issued the following statement Thursday afternoon: As a community, we are in a collective state of shock and disbelief regarding the events surrounding the acting Dean of the Cathedral. He has faithfully served this parish in a temporary capacity for the past year. It is not our place to speculate on anything related to this matter. The facts will unfold in due time and due process will be served. Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) issued the following statement: We are grateful to police for pursuing these charges. It is sad that with the advent of modern technology, the reach of child predators has grown exponentially. Because of the easy access to children that the internet provides, we urge parents to be careful to monitor their children’s online activity and report any suspicious messages or conversations to secular authorities. We hope that the church officials at The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Columbus, OH will immediately and aggressively seek out others in their congregation who may have seen, suspected, or suffered crimes at the hands of Fr. Patrick Nicholas Hughes. The fact that Fr. Hughes was allegedly setting up meetings with these boys leads us to believe that there may be others who were contacted by him. We hope all victims and witnesses will come forward and make a report to the Columbus police.
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