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Wednesday, July 30, 1997

Sexual assault charge against priest dropped

HENDERSON, Texas (AP) - A priest accused of sexually assaulting a child last year will return to work soon now that prosecutors have dismissed the charge against him, the Catholic Diocese of Tyler says.

Citing insufficient evidence, the Rusk County district attorney's office dropped the charge of aggravated sexual assault involving a child against the Rev. Octavio Suarez, who has maintained his innocence.

"After a review of all the credible evidence ... the conclusion was reached that the state could not carry its burden of proving Father Suarez's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," District Attorney Kyle Freeman said in a statement Monday.

Suarez, a priest for more than 32 years, was pastor of St. Jude Catholic Church in Henderson when he was arrested in October on a charge arising from an alleged April 1996 incident. Investigators did not release details of the allegations.

Suarez's congregation rallied around him and raised bond money for his release.

Suarez joined St. Jude parish in 1994. He was previously with the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Nacogdoches for four years.

The diocese said it was pleased with the results of the investigation and that "Father Suarez will be reassigned to active ministry in the near future."

"This substantiates the conclusion reached by diocesan officials when they conducted their own investigation into the allegations," the diocese said in a statement.

"The diocese reaffirms its policy to investigate any allegations of wrongdoing promptly and thoroughly. We also confirm our support of law enforcement officials as they investigate these types of allegations."

The development comes as other sexual assault allegations were dismissed against a South Texas priest accused of sodomizing an altar boy.

In that case, prosecutors said they could not corroborate the alleged victim's story and dismissed the criminal charges against the Rev. Jesus Garcia just before jury selection got under way Monday in his trial.

Garcia, 39, was accused of assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 1992 during an overnight stay at the rectory of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mathis, 30 miles northwest of Corpus Christi.

The teen, who came forward two years later, alleged Garcia slipped drugs into a glass of milk, then sodomized him when he was sleeping.

A civil lawsuit brought by Garcia's accuser and four other men is pending. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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