CNA Staff, Jul 17, 2024 / 12:35 pm (CNA).
A former Louisiana priest was arrested for possession of child pornography in Florida, law enforcement said on Tuesday, with the suspect also accused of multiple other instances of sexual abuse.
The Waco, Texas, Police Department said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers arrested Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with help from the U.S. Marshals service.
Waco police said that in March it had received “credible information” regarding a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012.
“During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said.
The priest was arrested in Florida by the state’s Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. He will be extradited to Texas, the Waco Police Department said.
Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed from his pastorship in December of last year amid controversy over homilies in which he alleged among other things that the Catholic Church was being taken over by “the gays.”
At that time the priest was also facing allegations of abusive behavior; a Louisiana woman had alleged in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her.
Prior to serving in the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong had served in at least two parishes in Texas. The Waco police on Tuesday said that during its sexual assault investigation, “the presence of other survivors was revealed.”
“Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said.
“Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognized as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.”
The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest.
In a brief press release on Tuesday the Archdiocese of New Orleans noted Odiong’s arrest in Florida.
The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.
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