NORWICH (CT)
CT Insider [Norwalk CT]
March 16, 2026
By Lisa Backus
The Diocese of Norwich has placed a Willimantic priest on leave following claims in Connecticut and an indictment in Maryland regarding decades-old abuse, church officials said.
The Rev. Laurence LaPointe, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Willimantic, has been placed on leave from all ministry regarding the church and cannot live at the residence on church property pending a review of the allegations, according to a news release issued by the diocese.
According to the Maryland indictment, which was issued on Feb. 24, the 81-year-old LaPointe is accused of sexual contact with a child who was under the age of 14 between July 1976 and May 1977. LaPointe is also accused of abusing the same victim while the child was under his supervision from July 1975 to July 1977, the indictment said. He is charged by Maryland authorities with third-degree sexual assault and causing abuse to a child under the age of 18.