LOUISIANA
American Press
A state district court jury heard testimony Monday from a man who said former priest Mark Broussard began sexually assaulting him when he was an 8-year-old altar boy at St. Henry Catholic Church.
Broussard is charged with molestation of a juvenile, oral sexual battery, aggravated oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated rape. The charges — he originally faced 224 counts of child molestation — stem from his time as a priest in Lake Charles in the late 1980s and early ’90s.
The victim’s testimony followed opening statements and testimony from Bishop Glenn John Provost, the first witness called by prosecutors.
Provost, who joined the diocese in 2007, said he met the victim in December 2012, speaking with him about a day and a half after the victim had talked to Monsignor Daniel Torres, the vicar general of the diocese.
“I found him quite presentable,” Provost said. “He was convincing, and the story was quite compelling.”
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