WILMINGTON (DE)
Delaware News Journal/My Delaware Online [New Castle DE]
March 17, 2025
By Esteban Parra Isabel Hughes
A former priest and current teacher have been indicted and charged with sexually abusing a former student of a Catholic school in Wilmington.
The incidents, according to the Delaware Delaware Department of Justice, occurred between 1994 and 1996 at the former St. Thomas the Apostle School and rectory, as well as other locations. The men, who were indicted on March 3, are:
- John Taggart, who resigned from active ministry in 2004 and currently lives in Georgia.
- Christopher Crisona, who worked as a teacher at St. Thomas until he was removed following a student complaint. He currently works as an elementary school teacher in Florida.
The investigation of the men began when the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington received an anonymous complaint and reported it to law enforcement, said Robert Krebs, a diocese spokesperson, in a statement.
“In keeping with policy, the Diocese of Wilmington has been and will continue to cooperate with the Delaware Attorney General’s Office,” Krebs said.
The indictment details a pattern of gravely serious abuse against a child by two adults in a position of trust, Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in a press release.
“As prosecutors, and as parents, these kinds of cases keep us up at night, but they also give us purpose,” she said. “The victim in this case suffered profound trauma over a period of years and deserves justice.”
Jennings said she is grateful to police, prosecutors and social workers involved in the investigation.
The state Department of Justice is seeking other potential victims given the nature of the claims and the men’s professional history. Anyone with information may contact (302) 577-5293 or ReportAbuse@delaware.gov to provide information to prosecutors and investigators. More: Kirk Middle School teacher charged with sexually soliciting a student for months
Reported abuse at St. Thomas the Apostle School
The investigation found that Taggart repeatedly abused a victim during their 7th and 8th grade years at St. Thomas, and continued after the victim left St. Thomas and began high school, according to the state Department of Justice.
St. Thomas the Apostle School, formerly located in the 200 block of Bayard Ave., closed in 2008 after 105 years. The closure came after declining enrollment led to a $70,000 projected deficit.
Taggart, who was a priest at St. Thomas the Apostle from 1987 to 1998, was sent to St. John the Apostle in Milford in 1999 and in January of 2001, was sent to St. Helena’s in the Penny Hill area.
Taggart resigned from active ministry in 2004 and now lives in Georgia.
The 80-year-old was indicted on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child, two counts of dangerous crime against a child, two counts of third-degree unlawful sexual penetration, four counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse and second-degree unlawful sexual contact.
Another teacher uncovered through investigation
The investigation also uncovered abuse claims about Crisona, who was a teacher at St. Thomas for the 1994-1995 school year and part of the 1995-1996 school year.
Crisona was removed mid-school year following a student complaint, the justice department said. In 1999, according to prosecutors, he was working at St. Matthew’s near Newport, Corpus Christi in Elsmere and in 2000, was working at St. Hedwig’s in Wilmington.Related: Ex-Brandywine school therapist whose arrest rocked district pleads guilty to raping child
He was indicted in Delaware on charges of second-degree unlawful sexual contact, three counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse, third-degree unlawful sexual penetration, second-degree unlawful sexual contact and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Crisona, 57, was most recently employed as a first-grade teacher at an Orange County, Florida elementary school, records show. The county is perhaps best known for housing the city of Orlando.
The school district confirmed that Crisona was most recently assigned to Andover Elementary School but said he was placed on administrative leave on March 10.
A since-removed article published in 2021 by St. Joseph’s University in New York — Crisona’s alma mater — said he taught first grade at a different Orange County school that year.
The district did not answer questions about when Crisona started with the district.
Online court records from Orange County show Crisona was arrested March 10 on a single charge of “fugitive from justice.” The charge stemmed from the Delaware indictment.
According to the St. Joseph’s University article, Crisona became interested in teaching while in high school. He tutored “young kids,” the article said.
It added that after graduating from St. Joseph’s University, Crisona taught middle school in New York City. He later taught in Delaware and Pennsylvania “before finally settling in Florida,” the article said.
Both men have been arrested in the state where they reside and are awaiting extradition to Delaware.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.