A Catholic priest from the diocese of southwest Louisiana, where the clergy abuse scandal in the American Church effectively began decades ago, has been indicted on three counts of felony indecent conduct with a minor.
An Acadia Parish District Attorney report charges Korey LaVergne, 37, with three felony counts of indecent conduct with a minor who was 15 years old at the time of the alleged crimes.
Court documents accuse LaVergne of “intentionally, unlawfully, knowingly and intentionally (committing) lewd or lascivious acts against (the) minor” – or in the presence of the minor – on or about January 1, 2024. The charges maintain that LaVergne had the “intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desires of either person.”
A document dated March 11 filed by LaVergne’s attorneys states that the clergyman chose to waive his indictment and in writing pleaded not guilty to the charges outlined in the information statement.
LaVergne is a priest of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. Another priest from the Diocese of Lafayette, named Gilbert Gauthe, brought the Catholic clergy abuse crisis into America’s collective consciousness by pleading guilty in 1985 to sexually abusing several boys he met through his ministry.
He served 10 years in prison, now lives in Texas, and has continued to be named in civil lawsuits by victims seeking damages from the Diocese of Lafayette for abuse at the hands of Gauthe.
LaVergne’s formal charges came after he was arrested in mid-January on the same three charges mentioned in the information statement.
At the time, records showed that LaVergne, the pastor of St Edward Catholic Church in Richard’s community, posted $15,000 bail less than 90 minutes after being jailed. That ensured his release from custody while the case progresses.
A week after his arrest, The Guardian obtained investigators’ initial report on the case, which stated that LaVergne had been jailed after local authorities were told that the cleric had “inappropriately touched a child” over the course of a year.
Lafayette news station KADN reported Jan. 16 that another priest had reported the allegations against LaVergne to authorities before his arrest.
A pretrial hearing in the case was tentatively scheduled for June 12 after LaVergne’s attorney filed a series of standard court motions, records show.
Neither LaVergne nor her lawyer immediately responded to The Guardian’s requests for comment on Friday about the formal charges.
LaVergne faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.
Generally, under Louisiana law, indecent behavior with a minor can lead to up to seven years in prison.
The state defines the crime as “any lewd or lascivious act…in the presence of any child under 17 years of age.” The law also states that messages (including text messages) and actions that allegedly constitute harassment may be covered by the offense.
