FINDLAY, Oh. (WOWO): The FBI has arrested a Roman Catholic priest in Ohio who once worked in Van Wert on child sex trafficking and other charges and say they suspect a long history of abuse.
Federal authorities in announcing the arrest say they think the priest has been engaged in sexual conduct with minors since the late 1990s.
FBI agents arrested the Rev. Michael Zacharias on Tuesday in Findlay. He was taken into custody without incident at his residence by members of the Northwest Ohio Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
The 53-year-old has been a priest since 2002 and has been assigned to parishes in Toledo, Mansfield, Van Wert and Fremont.
The Catholic Diocese of Toledo says in a statement that the priest has been placed on administrative leave.
He was booked initially into the jail in Lucas County.
Court records don’t say whether he has an attorney.
The FBI is asking anyone who has had inappropriate contact with Zacharias — including physical encounters — to contact the agency at (216) 622-6842. All information will be kept confidential.
2 comments
Wow! The remaining Catholic members must really be forgiving. Decades of continued child abuse, pedophilia, sex trafficking, etc…followed by cover-up from their upper hierarchy, I think, would make it difficult to continue supporting them. Apparently not.
Couldn’t have said it better myself! It sickens me that so many of these cult members (yea, I said cult) will swear this doesn’t happen & that the victims are making it up or it happens but isn’t that big of a deal…& will still leave their child alone w/members/priests/nuns…KNOWING that its a real possibility…
…A real problem in the religion w/rape, sexual, physical abuse & covering it up, yet they look down on members who get divorced or want to use birth control. Extreme stupidity!