A Roman Catholic priest in southwestern Louisiana has been formally charged with three counts of felony indecent behaviour with a juvenile. The charges against 37-year-old Korey LaVergne, a priest of the Lafayette diocese, were filed in the district court for Acadia Parish.
According to court documents, LaVergne allegedly committed lewd or lascivious acts upon a 15-year-old juvenile, or in their presence, on or about 1 January 2024, with the intention of sexual gratification. The clergyman pleaded not guilty to the charges in a written waiver of arraignment filed on 11 March.
LaVergne was arrested in mid-January on the same counts and released from custody after posting $15,000 bail. The investigation began after another priest reported the allegations to authorities. A pretrial hearing has been tentatively scheduled for 12 June.
The Lafayette diocese was the epicentre of the US clergy abuse scandal in the 1980s, when priest Gilbert Gauthe pleaded guilty to molesting boys. LaVergne faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
