St. Stan's Priest Arrested, Charged with Indecent Assault and Harassment

By Michael Goldberg
The Reporter
January 18, 2014

http://www.thereporteronline.com/general-news/20140117/st-stans-priest-arrested-charged-with-indecent-assault-and-harassment

Reverend John Roebuck performs the Jack-O-Lantern Lighting and Final Blessing during the All Saints Prayer Service at St Stanislaus Church on Thursday afternoon October 31,2013. Photo by Mark C Psoras/The Reporter

A priest at Saint Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church was arrested Friday and charged with misdemeanor indecent assault without consent and summary harassment in connection with an incident that occurred on Dec. 15, 2013, court records show.

Father John H. Roebuck, 64, a parochial vicar at the church, was arraigned Friday afternoon before District Judge Albert Augustine of Skippack, who set bail at $50,000 unsecured.

Details of the criminal complaint were not immediately available. Lansdale police could not be reached for comment Friday evening.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia issued a statement Friday that read, in part, “The alleged conduct leading to his arrest did not involve a minor,” adding that the allegations are “deeply troubling.”

Archdiocese spokesman Kenneth Gavin said that Roebuck has been placed on administrative leave, meaning he is removed from all duties within the Archdiocese, and that the Archdiocese is “cooperating fully with the police investigation.”

Court records indicate that a warrant for Roebuck’s arrest was issued on Jan. 14.

Roebuck is scheduled to appear in Augustine’s courtroom on Jan. 23 for a preliminary hearing.

According to CatholicPhilly.com, a website affiliated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput assigned Roebuck to Saint Stanislaus from his previous position as a parochial vicar at Saint Thomas the Apostle in Glen Mills effective July 16, 2013.

A profile of Roebuck published in the August 2013 edition of the Saint Stanislaus newsletter NewStan notes that he once taught at Lansdale Catholic High School.

“I found Father easy to talk with and he quickly put me at ease with his warm smile and affable manner,” the article’s author wrote.

Follow staff writer Michael Goldberg on Twitter @mg_thereporter.

Contact: mgoldberg@thereporteronline.com