AG Shapiro announces arrest of Erie priest on charges of sexual abuse

PITTSBURGH (PA)
Pittsburgh Post Gazette

May 8, 2018

By Peter Smith

[Includes full video of AG Josh Shapiro’s press conference.]

Eight years ago, the Rev. David L. Poul­son ad­mit­ted to his bishop that he was aroused by a boy, had sent sex-themed texts to mi­nors and was spend­ing time alone with them in vi­o­la­tion of di­oc­e­san rules, ac­cord­ing to a grand jury re­port ac­com­pa­ny­ing the Roman Cath­o­lic priest’s ar­rest Tues­day.

The now-re­tired Bishop Don­ald Traut­man “ad­mon­ished” Father Poul­son and told him to “cease and de­sist” from such be­hav­ior, ac­cord­ing to an in­ter­nal church memo cited by the grand jury.

Bishop Traut­man, how­ever, kept Father Poul­son in par­ish min­is­try, where he stayed un­til this year. Bishop Law­rence Per­sico, cur­rent head of the 13-county Erie di­o­cese, said nei­ther his pre­de­ces­sor nor any­one else told him of any con­cerns about the priest af­ter he took of­fice in 2012.

The grand jury — which has been in­ves­ti­gat­ing sex­ual abuse in six Roman Cath­o­lic di­o­ceses across Penn­syl­va­nia — ob­tained the memo from the Erie di­o­cese more than a year ago.

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