Allegation of sexual abuse by priest shocks West Texas townFather John M. Fiala was a trusted spiritual leader in Rocksprings, a small ranching community. A suit filed Thursday alleges that he sexually assaulted a teen at gunpoint.
April 10, 2010|By Louis Sahagun
Reporting from Rocksprings, Texas — Allegations that a local parish priest raped a teenager at gunpoint have spawned a wave of soul-searching in this remote West Texas sheep- and goat-ranching community and denials of a coverup from the Catholic archdiocese in San Antonio led by Archbishop Jose Gomez.
Accusations that Father John M. Fiala sexually assaulted the boy in 2007 and 2008 -- twice at gunpoint -- surfaced Thursday in a lawsuit filed against the archdiocese and Gomez, who was named earlier this week to lead the archdiocese in L.A.
The lawsuit alleges that Fiala was pastoral administrator at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in this remote Texas hill country community when he began sexually abusing the teen during catechism lessons.
Edwards County, Texas, Sheriff Don Letsinger said the archdiocese and Gomez had handled the case properly.
"Up to this point, they have cooperated fully in this investigation," Letsinger said in an interview in a cluttered office adorned with a framed portrait of John Wayne. "The first time I called the archdiocese about it, they sent Father Martin Leopold, their chief administrator, out to see me. He got here in two hours flat and signed consent forms for me to search the church."
"They have provided all the information I asked for," he said, "and they suspended Fiala almost immediately after I called about the investigation."
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