Two face charges in church abuse
Two men face multiple charges of sexual abuse for alleged incidents between 1994 and 1996, said Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings.
“The state’s indictment alleges a pattern of gravely serious abuse against a juvenile by two adults in a position of trust,” said Jennings in a press release. “As prosecutors, and as parents, these kinds of cases keep us up at night – but they also give us purpose. The victim in this case suffered profound trauma over a period of years and deserves justice. I’m grateful to the police, prosecutors and social workers who have been critical to this investigation and who are committed to getting justice.”
John Taggart, 80, and Christopher Crisona, 57, are charged with several felonies following an investigation into allegations of abuse at St. Thomas the Apostle School and rectory, Jennings said, as well as other locations.
Wilmington police began investigating following an anonymous report to the Diocese of Wilmington that alleged sexual abuse by Father John Taggart and the late Father John Francis O’Brien, Jennings said. The investigation found evidence that Taggart repeatedly abused a victim during their seventh- and eighth-grade years at St. Thomas, Jennings said, and continued after the victim left St. Thomas and began high school. Taggart was a priest at St. Thomas the Apostle from 1987 to 1998. In January 1999, he was sent to St. John the Apostle in Milford, and in January 2001 was sent to St. Helena's in Wilmington. Taggart resigned from active ministry in 2004 and currently resides in Georgia, officials said.
Police also uncovered allegations of abuse of the same victim by Christopher Crisona, a teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School. Crisona worked as a teacher at St. Thomas for the 1994-95 school year and part of the 1995-96 school year. He was removed mid-year following a student complaint, later working in 1999 at St. Matthew’s in Wilmington and Corpus Christi, and at St. Hedwig’s in 2000. He currently works as an elementary school teacher in Florida, Jennings said.
Both men are pending extradition to Delaware, said AG spokesman Mat Marshall.
Taggart faces four counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse, second-degree unlawful sexual contact, continuous sexual abuse of a child, two counts of dangerous crime against a child and two counts of third-degree unlawful sexual penetration.
Crisona faces three counts of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse, second-degree unlawful sexual contact, third-degree unlawful sexual penetration and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Both defendants are entitled to a presumption of innocence, Jennings said. The Department of Justice is seeking other potential victims given the nature of the allegations and the defendants’ professional history. Anyone with information may contact 302-577-5293 or ReportAbuse@delaware.gov.
