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CV NEWS FEED // A former priest of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, and a former Catholic school teacher are facing felony charges after a state investigation uncovered evidence of sexual abuse committed in the 1990s.
John Taggart, 80, and Christopher Crisona, 57, were arrested and are now facing numerous charges for abuses that took place between 1994 and 1996 at St. Thomas the Apostle School, as well as other locations, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced March 17.
Taggart, a former priest of the diocese who resigned from priestly ministry in 2004, became the subject of an investigation following an anonymous report to the Diocese of Wilmington regarding him and the now-deceased Father John Francis O’Brien.
According to Eastern Shore Undercover, law enforcement uncovered evidence that Taggart repeatedly abused a child when the victim was in seventh and eighth grade, with the abuse continuing into the student’s high school years.
Taggart was a priest at St. Thomas from 1987 to 1998 before being reassigned to other parishes. He currently resides in Georgia.
Crisona taught at St. Thomas for two school years before being dismissed due to a student complaint. He later worked at various schools in Delaware and is now an elementary school teacher in Florida, where he has been placed on leave pending the investigation’s outcome, Orlando Sentinel reported.
Taggart faces multiple felony charges, including Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child and Unlawful Sexual Contact, while Crisona has been charged with similar offenses.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings described the case as involving “a pattern of gravely serious abuse against a juvenile by two adults in a position of trust.”
“As prosecutors, and as parents, these kinds of cases keep us up at night, but they also give us purpose,” Jennings said according to Delaware Online. “The victim in this case suffered profound trauma over a period of years and deserves justice.”
The Diocese of Wilmington acknowledged the ongoing investigation and affirmed its cooperation with law enforcement in a March 16 news release.
“In keeping with policy,” the news release stated, “the Diocese of Wilmington has been and will continue to cooperate with the Delaware Attorney General’s Office.”
