Court date set for local priest accused of sexual abuse

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) – Charlotte County Priest Leo Riley’s first appearance at the Dubuque County Courthouse is scheduled for Monday, May 13 in Iowa.

He is accused of five counts of sexual abuse that allegedly occurred while he was a priest in Iowa.

Last month, a local victim came forward saying he was abused by Riley in Charlotte County.

“I buried these memories very deeply, but I couldn’t bury them forever,” said an alleged victim named John Doe.

These memories, which Doe shared at a press conference last month, are rife with trauma stemming from repeated sexual abuse by Riley.

“When they came back in a flash and in nightmares, I knew I had to do something so Riley didn’t hurt anyone.”

Trying to prevent patterns of sexual abuse has been a focus of the church for more than two decades, according to JD Flynn, an expert on the Catholic Church.

“There are more protections in the Catholic Church now than before,” Flynn said.

Flynn is the editor of a Catholic news site called The Pillar, which covers the Catholic Church.

“The Safe Environment Guidelines for the Catholic Church now include background checks not only for priests and religious sisters or brothers who engage with minors, but also for all adult volunteers who engage with minors,” Flynn said.

But he adds that protocols like these only work if the people responsible for enforcing them do their part, which some bishops have not always followed.

“If they are either understaffed, undertrained, or lack the will to implement the policies that have been put in place, the abuse can continue without being stopped,” Flynn said.

Flynn adds that the Catholic Church has also conducted training to recognize signs of abuse and create protocols so that children are not left alone with adults in a vulnerable place, as Doe says.

“If you have been abused by this man, you are not alone, there is help for you,” he said in the April press conference.

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