A former Roman Catholic priest is among five people who have been indicted by a federal grand jury in an alleged drug operation involving shipments of methamphetamine to Connecticut from California.
Federal prosecutors said Kevin Wallin, 61, former pastor at St. Augustine’s parish in Bridgeport, received the shipments and sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer six times since last September. Prosecutors say investigators also gathered evidence from court-authorized wiretaps.
The grand jury in Bridgeport indicted the five people Tuesday on charges of conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine and 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Wallin, of Waterbury, was also charged with six counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The conspiracy charges carry 10 years to life in prison upon conviction.
All five are detained. It’s not clear if they have lawyers.
Also charged are Kenneth Devries, 52, of Waterbury, Michael Nelson, 40, of Manchester, Chad McCluskey, 43, of San Clemente, Calif., and Kristen Laschober, 47, of Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Wallin resigned as St. Augustine’s pastor in June 2011 after serving nine years in the post, citing health and personal issues, the Diocese of Bridgeport said in a statement. Diocese officials granted him a sabbatical the following month.
During the sabbatical, diocese officials became concerned about Wallin’s well-being and reached out to him, but he has never spoken directly to church officials, the diocese said in the statement, which did not elaborate.
Wallin’s faculties for public ministry were suspended in May 2012 and he has not been reassigned, the diocese said.
“News of Msgr. Kevin Wallin’s arrest comes with a sense of shock and concern on the part of the diocese and the many people of Fairfield County who have known him as a gifted, accomplished and compassionate priest,” the diocese said. “The diocese stands ready to help as it has throughout the past two years. We ask for prayers for Msgr. Wallin during the difficult days ahead for him.”
Wallin was a close friend of former Archbishop of New York Edward Egan and advised Egan in the early 2000s when Bishop James McCarthy and Monsignor Charles Kavanagh were forced to resign over sexual improprieties.
Complete Article HERE!
This story was on the front page of the New York Daily News today. I wondered what you would think of this. Kind of depressing.
Reading this makes me aware of how we are all sinners, even priests. We all have a need for Christ in our lives. I wonder how much time this priest made for Christ in his life. I think of your book and how many of the priests in your study seem to have not had much time for Christ in their lives. Also, where was Christ in the lives of the priests that treated you the way that they did? If they had truly had the compassion of Christ in their hearts, they would not have treated you the way that they did. As a priest, one has a duty to share Christ with others.
see, i don’t share your conclusion that the priests in my study didn’t seem to have much time in their life for Christ. that just isn’t true. they were, for the most part, passionate holy. they were at least trying to make sense of who they are in light of the commitments they made. unlike the men who persecuted me. they were, for the most part, company men. and their only concern was with how the church would look if the truth came out. as you suggest, not all that christ-like.
I think some of the priests in your study were holy and had time for Christ in their lives. However, some of the priests admitted to having over 100 sex partners, I think you mentioned one that had over 500. Someone like that is a user, he is just using men, and in some cases maybe even teens to satisfy lust. It is sad and tragic. Unfortunately, you got hammered for telling the truth. It is sad that so many priests (even gay priests) are company men. From reading your study I got the impression that very few priests are pure in a physical sense but very few men are pure in a physical sense. This is just human biology. In the past the Church tried to make people think that most priests were living lives of chaste purity because their vows and ordination made them different. When I was a young person I believed this but I don’t believe it any more and most people probably don’t at this point. It makes me realize how tough it is for priests and I wonder how many priests in the past suffered because they thought most priests were physically pure and they were not. The Church needs men of integrity.
yes, very depressing.
On a lighter note, I just caught your Happy New Year 2013 card. That brought a somewhat confused smile to my face. Oh my! LOL