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	Former Fort Collins Priest Faces Sex Assault Charges Arrest Warrant Issued for Timothy Evans TheDenverChannel.com [Fort Collins CO] December 1, 2005 FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A former Roman Catholic priest was advised Wednesday of felony sexual assault charges against him, according to court documents. Former Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton parish priest Timothy Joseph Evans, 43, faces two counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and one count of contributing to the delinquency of minor, according to court documents. City police and prosecutors said a gag order kept them from discussing details. Police requested an arrest warrant for Evans on Nov. 22, when District Court Judge Jolene Blair ordered the case file sealed. The Coloradoan reported that a public records search showed an investigation began last year into allegations of crimes while Evans was serving at the church. Evans served at the parish for at least four years, the Coloradoan reported. He was ordained in 1993 and was removed from the parish ministry in 2002, according to a statement from Francis Maier, Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Denver. In 2003, the archdiocese removed him from active ministry, according to Jeanette DeMalo, director of communications for the archdiocese. In a written statement, Maier said the diocese was "deeply concerned" about the charges. A phone number listed for Evans was the number for the parish. Deacon Jim Devlin of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton said he hadn't spoken to Evans since Evans left the church in 2002. He said he was shocked to learn of the charges. "It's extremely out of character for the Father Tim I know," he said. Evans, who was free on bond, was scheduled to appear in District Court on Dec. 20. Nearly two dozen civil lawsuits have been filed in Colorado by people alleging they were sexually assaulted by former priests or a Catholic school teacher when they were children, as early as the 1960s. The Diocese of Pueblo faces at least a dozen lawsuits, and least 11 have been filed against the Archdiocese of Denver. Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey has received six recent complaints alleging abuse but has said he cannot pursue charges because the alleged attacks happened too long ago and outside Denver. State law allows for criminal charges in child sex-abuse cases until alleged victims turn 28.
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