Onalaska police were aware a Catholic priest now charged with having child pornography repeatedly followed several young boys into a Wisconsin Dells water park bathroom almost a year ago, according to police reports and court records.La Crosse Tribune
A family and two Noah’s Ark Water Park employees saw the Rev. Patrick Umberger, 59, trail the boys into the bathroom by a children’s pool area July 22, 2009, according to a Lake Delton Police Department report.
Umberger, priest at St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish in Onalaska since 2005, was found standing next to a 10-year-old using a urinal, the report stated. He told an officer he was near the restrooms because he had prostate problems and had to urinate often.
The officer told Umberger that park officials had revoked his season pass and drove him to his car. The officer noted she questioned Umberger for an hour and he never had to use the restroom. Noah’s Ark Operations Manager Justin Strayer said in a statement Thursday that Umberger remains on the park’s watch list.
Lake Delton police also forwarded the report to the Onalaska Police Department, which later discovered photos of the priest with young boys on his Facebook page, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in La Crosse County Circuit Court.
Onalaska police asked the state Department of Justice to investigate, but police would not say when or why.
Umberger told a state agent Wednesday he is sexually attracted to boys and young men and searched the Internet for pictures of boys 12 to 15 years old, according to the complaint.
His computer had three sexually graphic pictures of nearly nude children Wednesday, the complaint stated.
Umberger was charged Thursday with one count of possession of child pornography. He is prohibited contact with children and computers as part of his $10,000 signature bond and returns to court July 28 for a preliminary hearing.
Umberger denied ever having sexual contact with children, the complaint stated.
He did admit to using a software program that regularly scrubbed his computer hard drive.
Umberger’s removal from active ministry pending the investigation “should not be interpreted as any indication of assessment of guilt or innocence,” Diocese of La Crosse attorney Jim Birnbaum said. The diocese did not return Tribune phone calls seeking information on who would take over duties at St. Patrick’s.
Umberger also is diocese webmaster, taught at St. Patrick School and is chaplain at Aquinas Middle School, according to his website.
He previously served multiple stints around central and western Wisconsin, including stops at parishes in Arcadia, La Crosse, Mauston, Wonewoc and Elroy.
News of his arrest spread quickly through the St. Patrick’s parish membership.
“Everyone I talked to that is a member there is shocked,” said a church member who asked not to be named. “I mean, he’s our priest.”
Jessica Kirchner — an associate of Birnbaum — said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the diocese was not aware of Umberger’s alleged inappropriate computer use.
Milwaukee Archdiocese spokeswoman Gillian Lester-George said in an e-mail that Archbishop Jerome Listecki, former bishop in La Crosse, was “surprised and saddened” to hear about Umberger’s arrest.
“Archbishop Listecki had no previous indication that there were any potential issues that would have prevented Fr. Pat from serving in public ministry,” Lester-George wrote.
The Department of Justice has asked that anyone with possible information on Umberger’s case call (715) 839-3830.
Needless to say, I think this is a big shock to everybody in the diocese.
In regards to the "diocese webmaster" title he has on his website; this information is outdated. My understanding is that Fr. Umberger has not been the diocesan webmaster since he started cancer treatments a few years ago. The diocese has staff hired that now works on the website. They still use Umberger's original design though.
Regarding the cancer, he had almost died. He had been updating a blog daily on his progress and he was in rough shape. It was my understanding that most parishioners who knew the details thought he wouldn't make it. The blog appears to have been taken down now.
I think it makes this revelation all the more shocking as he was very well known in the diocese and thought of as fighting the good fight. The Catholic Times had run a story on him in the last six months and his web ministry. Unfortunately it's not online.
Also, Msgr. Bernard McGarty had been helping out alot at St Pats in Umberger's absence during his cancer treatment and recovery. He is a retired priest from La Crosse. I assume in the interim that he will again be the one filling in.
As disturbing as this is, let's not forget to pray for Fr. Umberger, for his conversion, and especially for the children exploited in those photographs.
3 comments:
I also feel that what we can offer Father Pat is our prayers and our support. Here is a very good man who has done a great deal for many people over the years who now has need of the prayers of the people he has tried so hard to help. May God Bless him; may no harm come to him; and may Father Pat be healed fully and be made whole once again.
I've heard about this story. It's been all over the media lately. It's hard to know the real truth.
Father's life as an active priest is over.
And if this information is true, he may well be laicized, according to the new norms by the Holy See for priests who are guilty of having child pornography.
Yes, prayer.
I'm sorry these "quotes" from Father are in the media; it only serves to bring condemnation upon the Church, the priesthood, the goodness of the majority of priests who are living according to the Gospel and their priestly promises.
Until the dust settles, we don't know how much of this is certain. But if he was following children into the bathroom and the cops were watching him, this is not good, not good at all.
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