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	Suicidal Priest Suspected of Assaulting St. Charles Boy By Josh Stockinger Daily Herald January 11, 2010 http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=350094 Two days before he attempted suicide by leaping off a church balcony last week, a Joliet priest was accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old St. Charles boy, police said Monday. Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti also has confirmed that authorities were investigating the Rev. Alejandro Flores, 37, who survived the fall from a 20-foot choir balcony Wednesday at St. Mary's Carmelite Church in Joliet. The boy's family had reported the accusations to police Jan. 4, just two days before Flores' suicide attempt, according to St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain. The matter was then turned over to the Kane County Child Advocacy Center, McCurtain said, declining further comment. Diocese of Joliet Bishop J. Peter Sartain said there were no previous allegations of abuse involving Flores, and his accuser was not a parishioner at his church. Flores was immediately stripped of his duties and placed on leave, pending the investigation, Sartain said in a statement. "I and the Diocese of Joliet will continue to cooperate with (investigators) in this tragic situation," he said. "I have been deeply grieved for the young boy whose family reported the abuse and for the entire family - and my prayers for them have not ceased." Flores, who was recovering from his injuries Monday, was parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish in Shorewood. Authorities say they expect to charge Flores once he fully recovers. According to Sartain, the suicide attempt came after Flores left a "monitored living situation" arranged by the church. Officials found him a short time later at St. Mary's, a facility that is no longer in use. "This added tragedy compounds what was already a great sorrow," Sartain said. "At difficult times such as this, we rely on God's wisdom every step of the way and ask that He impart the healing only He can give."
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