MINNESOTA
Minnesota Public Radio
Madeleine Baran May 6, 2015
A Catholic priest who serves at a parish in Hibbing was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of sexually abusing a teenager, according to the Diocese of Duluth and law enforcement records.
The Hibbing Police Department booked the priest into the St. Louis County Jail, where he remains pending a possible charge for second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor between the ages of 13 and 15, according to the county jail roster.
The priest was ordained in the Diocese of Duluth. Diocese spokesman Kyle Eller said the diocese first learned of the arrest from the police. He declined further comment.
In a statement released Wednesday, the diocese said the priest was arrested “as a result of allegations of sexual misconduct of a minor.”
It continued, “While the circumstances leading to his arrest are currently unknown to us and while we believe (the priest) is entitled to the presumption of innocence, we take this development very seriously and are monitoring it closely.”
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