NEW JERSEY
Daily Record
Written by
Anthony Panissidi
@APPanissidi
BRICK — A longtime township priest, who has a garden named in his honor outside his parish, was arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with a mother and her child, authorities said.
Marukudiyil Velan, 64, known to his parishioners as “Father Chris,’’ was arrested Saturday after he allegedly assaulted the mother and her child at their home Friday, Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said.
An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office concluded Velan befriended the unnamed victims before the incident. He was arrested after township police and members of the Prosecutor’s Office interviewed the victims Saturday in connection with their complaint about Velan, Ford said. The priest was charged with one count of criminal sexual contact with the female, one count of criminal sexual contact with the child and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
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