Front Page Detectives
or
Sign in with lockrMail
BREAKING NEWS

Indiana priest accused of giving teens alcohol and having sex with them

priest
Source: Whitley County jail; MEGA

Oct. 10 2021, Published 9:21 a.m. ET

Link to FacebookShare to XShare to FlipboardShare to Email

A Catholic priest in Indiana is accused of giving alcohol to two teen girls and then performing sex acts on them.

Father David Huneck, the former chaplain at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne and priest at Saint Paul of the Cross Catholic Church in Columbia City, was arrested last week in connection to the case.

Article continues below advertisement

Whitley County Prosecutor DJ Sigler told WANE 15 News Huneck was charged with child seduction, sexual battery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, furnishing alcohol to a minor and two counts of battery.

Officials said two women, ages 17 and 19, came forward and reported an incident that allegedly took place earlier this year. One incident happened about a day before it was reported to authorities, according to The Journal Gazette.

One of the victims reportedly showed police text messages of Huneck apologizing for his behavior.

Article continues below advertisement

Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese said the diocese staff immediately conducted a preliminary investigation and then reported the “credible allegations” to the Department of Child Services.

MORE ON:
sexual assault

“On Sept. 19, the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend became aware of allegations that Father David Huneck engaged in sexual and other misconduct, including that with a minor,” Rhoades said in a statement.

Article continues below advertisement

“Consistent with diocesan policy, the diocese notified the Department of Child Services of the allegations. It was then forwarded to local police. Father Huneck subsequently resigned as pastor of Saint Paul of the Cross Catholic Church, Columbia City, and as chaplain of Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne. Further, as a precautionary measure, Father Huneck was suspended from all public priestly ministry.The diocese stands ready to cooperate with civil authorities.”

Rhoades went on to say that extensive vetting efforts seemed to have failed.

“It’s devastating to me. After all that’s happened in the Church, the rigorous screening that we do before accepting seminarians, the formation they receive in celibate chastity in the seminary. I’d say that’s why it is such a shock to me,” Rhoades told TodaysCatholic.org.

“I can’t really think of anything we could have done differently. There were no red flags. It’s extremely troubling.”

Advertisement

Become a Front Page Detective

Sign up to receive breaking
Front Page Detectives
news and exclusive investigations.

More Stories

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES™️. A DIVISION OF MYSTIFY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK INC. FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.