(LA)
News 15 [Lafayette, LA]
January 29, 2026
By Jim Hummel
Records obtained by News15 Investigates show Father Korey Lavergne was under criminal investigation for more than six weeks before his arrest on child sex crimes. As some Catholics question why Fr. Lavergne wasn’t removed from ministry during the investigation, the accuser’s mother tells News 15 that both she and her son met with Lafayette Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel in early December.
According to the initial report obtained through a public records request, deputies with the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office first received a complaint against Fr. Lavergne on December 2, 2025.
Records show the person who called the sheriff’s office reported that a boy told him he was inappropriately touched by Fr. Lavergne at St. Edward Catholic Church in Richard on multiple occasions within the last year.
The name of the person who filed the complaint is redacted in the initial report, but News15 Investigates has learned the complaint was made by a priest in the Diocese of Lafayette.
The Diocese of Lafayette’s Safe Environment protocols would require a member of clergy who learns of such an allegation to also report it to church leaders. The accuser’s mother tells News15 the priest did so, and both she and her son met with Bishop Deshotel in the days that followed in early December.
“At the time, the bishop came to the conclusion that Fr. Lavergne’s actions toward my son were immature, possessive, and crossed boundaries,” the accuser’s mother tells News15. “He said he would reprimand him. There were a few things my son didn’t make clear during the meeting, though, and I spoke of what I knew at the time. I learned a couple more things afterwards from my son as he opened up to the detective. With the information we gave to the bishop, and the way it was presented by my son and I that day, I understand why he felt a reprimand was enough.”
In that initial meeting with the bishop, the mother tells News15 that her son reported what she believes was grooming behavior by Father Lavergne.
“Basically, it was some immature, inappropriate talk, actions that I now understand as grooming, such as giving cash, food, clothes to both my son and [me], and inviting my son to stay on Mondays after morning Mass under the pretense that he would work with the janitor, but which turned out to be my son staying in the rectory and playing video games, working out, watching movies, eating, and showering before the afternoon prayer group we had that day…but I later learned that Fr Lavergne would kiss my son on the cheek when he went to pick up food from the rectory and my son also later told me that the hugs he gave him were too long and it made him feel weird. My son did not make that very clear when we were speaking to the bishop. He was embarrassed. There was also an incident when my son took a shower and [Father Lavergne] followed him and asked for each piece of clothing ‘to be put in the washer’ and then he looked at my son’s body after my son handed his underwear over.”
News15 has reached out to the Diocese of Lafayette for clarification on when church leaders first learned of allegations against Fr. Lavergne. We’ve not heard back.
Some outspoken Catholics are questioning why Fr. Lavergne was not removed from ministry during the investigation.
“I don’t think that’s acceptable. The diocese, presumably, the bishop is not removing him or warning people,” said Quinn Hebert, with The Society of St. Peter Damian.
The SSPD is a mostly anonymous group of Acadiana Catholics that has been working for years to expose what they call “institutionalized corruption” in the diocese.
“The average person would look at this and say ‘no,’ he should be removed until there’s evidence that he either did or didn’t do it, just for safety, not to disparage the guy; he could be reinstated after the fact. But for the sake of children and with [the church’s] reputation, it seems that the reasonable thing to do would have been to remove him immediately,” Hebert added.
Fr. Lavergne remained in active ministry throughout the six-week criminal investigation, even celebrating Mass with a group of elementary students just hours before his January 16th arrest. The diocese has not commented on his current status with the church, though his bio was scrubbed from the diocesan website this week.
Acadia Parish Sheriff KP Gibson tells News15 that detectives brought their case against Lavergne to prosecutors and multiple judges to review before securing an arrest warrant. Lavergne was arrested on three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. So far, there is no record that he’s been formally charged by the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.