Lehigh County D.A. files charges against priest accused of assault, sending explicit Snapchat messages

 

Lehigh County prosecutors have charged a Catholic priest from the Allentown Diocese with assaulting and sending explicit Snapchat messages to a 17-year-old girl at Central Catholic High School.

District Attorney Jim Martin announced the charges against 30-year-old Kevin Lonergan in a press conference Tuesday.

“The defendant has been charged with indecent assault and corruption of minors. Mr. Lonergan is being arraigned this afternoon in central booking,” said Martin.

The alleged abuse occurred within the past year. Once the accusations surfaced in June, the Allentown Diocese removed Lonergan from ministry.

Lonergan, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania was a priest at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Allentown.

The District Attorney clarified that the case is unrelated to last week’s grand jury report, which alleged 301 “predator priests” abused 1,000 victims across the state.

In the Allentown Diocese, 37 offenders were identified by the grand jury.

 

*An earlier version of this story appears below*

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin will announce criminal charges against a Roman Catholic priest at a 3 p.m. news conference Tuesday afternoon.

The charges come one week after the Pennsylvania Attorney General released a scathing grand jury report into the alleged widespread sexual abuse of children and systematic cover up in six of the state’s eight dioceses.

The grand jury found that 301 “predator priests” sexually abused, molested or raped more than 1,000 child victims.

In the Allentown diocese, 37 offenders were identified by the grand jury.

A spokesperson for the district attorney would not confirm whether the charges announced Tuesday would be against one of those priests identified in the report.

This is a developing story and will be updated.