Former Savannah priest indicted on Jasper County sexual abuse charges

SOUTH CAROLINA
Island Packet

BY CAITLIN TURNER
cturner@islandpacket.com

AUGUST 28, 2017

A former Catholic priest has been indicted for allegedly sexually assaulting two boys at different locations in Jasper County during the late 70s and early and late 80s.

A Jasper County grand jury handed down nine indictments against Wayland Brown, 73, on Thursday alleging first-degree criminal sexual conduct and second-degree criminal sexual conduct, 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone said during a joint press conference Monday with the Chatham County, Ga., District Attorney’s office.

The indictments allege that during the school years of 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987 and 1988, Brown, then a priest at St. James Catholic Church and School in Savannah, took the two children, who were students at the school, to Jasper County on occasions and sexually assaulted them.

One of the victims was allegedly assaulted when he was in the 5th, 6th and 7th grade. The second was allegedly assaulted when he was in the 7th grade, Stone said.

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