MARKSVILLE (LA)
Avoyelles Today
February 24, 2019
By Raymond Daye
There are calls you wish you had not received because of the emotional toll it takes on you, but yet are glad you had the conversation because some good may come from it.
One such call came to my desk a few days after the article on priests the Diocese believes were most likely guilty of sexual abuse, molestation or impropriety with juveniles over the past several decades.
This caller is now over 70, but his story of a near tragedy occurred when he was 13.
The priest was serving in Bunkie. He was friendly and often asked the caller and his friends to help him around the church. He would give them gifts to show his appreciation for their help.
One day, he and the priest were alone.
“He gave me something to drink,” he recalled, noting that he may have had more than one.
“I know now it was a martini, with olives in it. It was very strong and made me dizzy,” he said.
The priest drove him to the Cow Palace in Marksville — which has since been torn down to make way for the Paragon Casino.
“He tried to take my pants off in the car,” he said. “I fought back, even though I was woozy from the martini.”
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