Former Tullytown priest accused of sex abuse to face trial

By Christopher Dornblaser
Bucks County Courier Times
November 19, 2019

https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20191119/former-tullytown-priest-accused-of-sex-abuse-to-face-trial

Francis X. Trauger

Francis Trauger, 74, is accused of molesting two boys at a Tullytown parish between 1996 and 2000.

The former Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing two altar boys at a Tullytown parish now faces trial in county court.

Bucks County District Attorney’s office spokesman James O’Malley said Francis Trauger, 74, stipulated to the criminal complaint only for the purpose of his preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon.

That means no testimony was necessary.

Trauger’s charges, which are misdemeanor offenses of indecent assault of someone younger than 16, indecent assault of someone younger than 13 and corruption of minors, were held for county court.

He was a priest at the St. Michael the Archangel Church at the time of the alleged assaults.

Trauger is expected to be formally arraigned on the charges on Dec. 20, according to O’Malley.

A message left for Trauger’s attorney seeking comment Tuesday afternoon was not immediately returned.

Trauger, according to Tullytown police, sexually abused two boys during the robing process in preparation for Mass.

Police said he abused one boy in 1996 and another in 2000.

The victim abused in 2000, now 31, reported the abuse to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in August 2018, according to court documents. He spoke to authorities in February.

Investigators spoke to the other alleged victim, now 35, in May. He said he was about 12 in 1996 when he was molested by Trauger, court documents allege.

Tullytown police filed charges against Trauger in September.

Trauger was named in a 2005 Philadelphia grand jury report which alleged he molested boys at other parishes. The Archdiocese said Trauger was placed on leave in 2003 when an accusation of child abuse from him was substantiated.

He was defrocked in 2005.

He served at the parish in Tullytown from 1993 to 2003, according to police.

Trauger, who now lives in Brooklyn, remains free on $250,000 unsecured bail.