(VA)
WRIC - ABC 8 [Richmond VA]
June 8, 2023
By Delaney Murray
LOUDON COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A former Virginia priest was sentenced to spend eight years in prison for sexually abusing a teenager nearly four decades ago.
Scott Asalone, 66, is a former priest of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville, Virginia. According to court documents, in 1985, a then-29-year-old Asalone sexually abused a 14-year-old child.
Asolone was removed from public duties in 1993 and dismissed from the Order of Capuchin Friars in 2007.
Asalone was indicted by a grand jury in March 2020 and was arrested from his home in New Jersey shortly afterward. He was then extradited to Virginia and remained on bond until his trial.
In December 2022, Asalone pled guilty using the Alford rule in a Loudon County Circuit Court to felony carnal knowledge of a minor between 13 and 15 years of age. An Alford plea allows a defendant to plead guilty while also expressing their innocence, according to Cornell Law.
On Tuesday, June 6, the former priest was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Loudon County Circuit Court Judge.
“Today’s sentencing brings long overdue justice to the brave victim who came forward and told their story,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute child offenders.”
Asalone will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and cannot have any contact with the victim.