CLINTONVILLE (WI)
WMTV [Madison, WI]
August 27, 2025
By Juliana Tornabene and Camberyn Kelley
A criminal complaint filed Wednesday against a Madison priest details an undercover operation where authorities posed as a teen girl, and an agreement for him to meet up with her for sex.
Andrew Showers, 37, is accused of attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years old.
The criminal complaint states a Clintonville Police Department sergeant was posing as a 14-year-old girl, named Abby, on Aug. 10. Images of the fake child were made using images of another officer, then edited to make the person look like a teen.
The complaint said the sergeant used Reddit to create a post, saying Abby was looking for a man in Wisconsin. The sergeant made clear that the teen was 14 years old, and a man said he was interested in meeting up for sex. He also allegedly sent an explicit photo to her and talked about sexual acts.
According to the complaint, the messaging moved over to a different platform and the pair eventually agreed to meet up at a hotel on Sunday, Aug. 24.
Clintonville Police Department officials reported seeing a vehicle matching the description just before 7:30 p.m.
The complaint stated officers identified the driver of the vehicle as the same person who was messaging “Abby,” through photos he had sent her.
After he was arrested and officers took him to the Clintonville Police Department, Showers allegedly drafted a letter to “Abby” where he apologized for his actions. According to the complaint, Showers said he put his “own desires, wants, and brokenness before (her) wellbeing… and I am sorry that you were the recipient and victim of my poor decisions and selfish pursuits.”
Showers is scheduled to have an initial appearance on Sept. 30, in Waupaca County Circuit Court.
Additionally, a Lodi Police Department police report detailed a complaint, which did not result in any criminal charges, regarding Showers on Dec. 13, 2021, at St. Patrick’s Church.
A child said Showers allegedly asked him during confession about masturbation and if he viewed pornography, according to the police report.
The police department concluded the situation did not rise to a criminal act, but was “more of a question of appropriateness.”
The report noted the parent was waiting to hear back from the church diocese, who was conducting an investigation.
The Diocese of Madison responded to the 2021 investigation on Wednesday after reviewing diocesan files, email messages and phone records.
“The police met with the father and child, assessed that the incident did not rise to the level of a criminal act, and did not pursue the matter with the Diocese of Madison. We apologize that this parental complaint was not included in our initial release about Fr. Showers.”
The Diocese of Madison said in a statement Tuesday that there has not been any previous allegations of misconduct involving Father Showers prior to his arrest.
Showers is currently restricted from public ministry.