Catholic Priest Indicted on 9 Counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor Waives Bond in Jasper County Court

WSAV-TV
September 15, 2017

http://wsav.com/2017/09/15/catholic-priest-indicted-on-9-counts-of-criminal-sexual-conduct-with-a-minor-waives-bond-in-jasper-county-court/

The 74-year-old Catholic Priest Wayland Brown, indicted on 9 counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, appeared in a Jasper County courtroom for a bond hearing Friday morning.

This is the 2nd time in 37 years Chris Templeton has seen the man he says raped him as a child.

“It’s a feeling I can’t even explain to be honest with you… it’s not anger…. I wish I could get angry,” Templeton told News Three afterwards.

Templeton was one of his alleged victims at St. James Catholic School in the 1970’s and 80’s.

“Wayland Brown, a priest at the St. James Catholic Church in Savannah took two children who were students at the St. James Catholic School, at separate times, into Jasper County South Carolina and sexually assault them,” Duffie Stone the Solicitor for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit said in a press conference earlier.

Friday morning, Brown waived to set bond and will now await trial in the Jasper County jail.

“The fact that he’s continuing to be locked up gives me peace of mind that knowing no other children are being hurt today, so no other children have to go through what I and many others went through,” said Templeton.

While a short hearing, the courtroom was filled with Templeton’s supporters.

“The Catholic community should be rejoicing that ChrisTempleton had the courage to follow through with this and to you know, bring Wayland Brown to jail,” said O.C. Welch, a friend of Templeton, “Hopefully he’ll spend every day of the rest of his life in jail.”

“When you’re a victim, when you have anybody stand by your side and back you up,” said Templeton, “That means more than you could ever imagine.”

Templeton wants to make sure Brown will never hurt anyone else.

“He’s where he belongs and three years ago when we started all this, this was the purpose to protect other children to not having to go through this,” Templeton said.

It’s a long process,” said Stone, “We already put a great deal of work into it, but he has been indicted, and the next step is really a trial.”

Templeton encourages anyone who may have been a victim to come forward. An anonymous hotline has been set up at 912-652-8080.