ST. CLOUD (MN)
St. Cloud Times
January 7, 2019
By Stephanie Dickrell
A St. Cloud priest was the subject of a preliminary hearing in a criminal sexual conduct case Monday morning.
The Rev. Anthony Oelrich is charged with criminal sexual conduct in the third degree after he was accused of violating a state law that forbids clergy from engaging in sexual contact with anyone they are spiritually counseling.
The hearing will help Stearns County Judge Sarah Hennesy decide whether evidence of alleged instances of inappropriate sexual contact with other women could be used in the case.
Oelrich’s former parishioner and her husband testified about what they say was an ongoing sexual relationship Oelrich had with the woman. They contend the relationship started when Oelrich was an associate pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Sauk Rapids, where the woman and her previous husband were parishioners.
The woman testified she frequently sought spiritual counsel and advice from Oelrich regarding her marriage. She said she and Oelrich engaged in sexual contact numerous times for more than a decade, from the early 1990s into the 2000s. It continued through her divorce and into her second marriage.
She filed a report with St. Cloud police in 2016 regarding the relationship.
Her husband, who has known Oelrich since he and Oelrich attended college together, gave corroborating testimony to the ongoing relationship between his wife and Oelrich.
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