Police: Lansdale Priest Groped Man In YMCA Locker Room
LANSDALE, Pa. (AP) — Police revealed that a Philadelphia-area priest charged with harassment and indecent assault allegedly groped a younger man in a YMCA locker room last month (See Related Story).
The Philadelphia archdiocese issued a statement Friday calling the actions of the 64-year-old priest "deeply troubling," but authorities didn't immediately release details when the Rev. John Roebuck surrendered that day.
On Saturday, Lansdale police said the alleged encounter occurred Dec. 15 at the North Penn YMCA.
According to police, Roebuck shook the man's hand after a brief conversation, then grabbed the alleged victim's genitals with another hand. Police say the YMCA staff helped them identify Roebuck.
Online court records don't list an attorney for the priest who faces a preliminary hearing Thursday. He has not returned calls to his office at St. Stanislaus Church in Lansdale.
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