Prosecutors today reduced a felony charge filed against a Wisconsin priest accused of groping a 15-year-old girl last month while he was in La Crosse.
The Rev. David Szatkowski, 37, now is charged fourth-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct.
He was charged second-degree sexual assault of a child younger than 16 on Aug. 10 after the teen said he grabbed her breast outside the downtown La Crosse Radisson in early August, according to the complaint.
She told police a drunken man approached her group of friends and put his arms around her shoulders before groping her. One of her friends snapped a picture of the man on a Szatkowski on a cell phone.
Investigators tracked Szatkowski, of Franklin, Wis., to a canon law conference for canonists and civil attorneys at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
He identified himself in the cellphone picture but denied assaulting the teen, the complaint states.
Szatkowski resigned from his position as an assistant professor of canon law and director of the English as a second language program at Franklin's Sacred Heart School of Theology. He is not assigned to a parish.
Szatkowski's next hearing is set for Oct. 7.
Showing posts with label Fr. David Szatkowski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fr. David Szatkowski. Show all posts
Monday, September 26, 2011
Fr. Szatkowski charges reduced in groping incident
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Devil is abroad: Milwaukee diocesan priest charged with assaulting teen in La Crosse
A criminal charge accuses a Wisconsin priest of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl earlier this week while he was in La Crosse for a canon law conference.
The Rev. David Szatkowski, 37, of Franklin, Wis., grabbed the teen's breast outside the downtown Radisson late Monday or early Tuesday, according to the complaint filed today in La Crosse County Circuit Court.
She told police a drunken man approached her group of friends and put his arms around her shoulders before groping her, the complaint states. One of her friends snapped a picture of the man on a cell phone.
Two witnesses described the man, who said he was a lawyer, as being "very touchy" before he grabbed the teen when she tried to give him a high five, the complaint states. He retreated to the hotel when the girls confronted him.
A staff member told police a group of people attending a canon law conference for canonists and civil attorneys at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe were staying in the hotel. The two-day conference is hosted by Cardinal Raymond Burke and is not associated with the Diocese of La Crosse.
Szatkowski identified himself in the cell phone picture after investigators found him at the conference, according to the complaint.
He told investigators he was staying at the Radisson and had several drinks during the evening. He remembered talking to a group of students for about an hour outside the hotel but denied assaulting the teen, according to the complaint. He refused more questions without an attorney.
Szatkowski appeared in court Wednesday, where prosecutors charged him with second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age.
.... I'll cover as the story unfolds.
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