Search Warrant Served on Catholic Diocese of Erie

By Dana Massing
Erie Times-News
November 7, 2016

http://www.goerie.com/news/20161107/search-warrant-served-on-catholic-diocese-of-erie

Special agents from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General descended Monday on the offices of the Catholic Diocese of Erie, serving a search warrant related to a state probe of clergy sex abuse.

The Erie-based diocese, which covers 13 counties in northwestern Pennsylvania, issued a three-sentence statement: "The Diocese of Erie was served with a search warrant by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General this morning. Attorney General police were on the premises of St. Mark Catholic Center in Erie just before noon. Bishop Lawrence Persico asked all employees to cooperate with the search, which is part of an ongoing statewide grand jury investigation into past cases of sexual abuse in several Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania."

A diocese spokeswoman read the statement, which was handwritten because employees at the center weren't being allowed access to computers at the time.

An Attorney General police truck and an SUV were parked in front of St. Mark Catholic Center, 429 E. Grandview Blvd., as men in shirts proclaiming them to be a "special agent" or "police" went in and out of the building Monday shortly before noon. None was available for comment.