OHIO
Cincinnati Enquirer
Written by
Amber Hunt
A longtime Catholic priest who prosecutors say had a history of molesting children was found guilty Friday of taking a Cincinnati boy to West Virginia and assaulting him in 1991.
The Rev. Robert F. Poandl belongs to Fairfield-based Catholic religious order called the Glenmary Home Missioners and is not associated with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The priest, who was relieved of ministerial duties in February 2012, faces up to 10 years in prison for the conviction.
According to testimony at a U.S. District Court trial that began Monday in Cincinnati, Poandl took the boy, with his mother’s permission, on an overnight trip to a rectory in West Virginia. Once there, he awakened the boy in the middle of the night by having sex with him. The victim told authorities that after the act, Poandl said they had just sinned and needed to pray to God for forgiveness.
The victim, who now is in his 30s and testified at the trial, didn’t tell anyone about the assault for 18 years.
Judy Jones, the Midwest associate director for Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said that Poandl’s employment history had “big red flags” because he had been transferred about 30 times in 44 years.
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