St. Paul priest is charged with abusing two boys

He was removed from ministerial duties after being arrested in June at Blessed Sacrament parish.

Star Tribune/September 21, 2012

During the summer of 2010, the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer would bring two young brothers to his camper trailer, parked in the lot of the St. Paul church where he presided.

Inside, he showed the boys, then 12 and 14, pornographic movies and provided alcohol and marijuana as he allegedly molested one and exposed himself to the other, authorities said this week. After he was arrested in June in the rectory at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Wehmeyer saw the boys' mother and said, "[your son] doesn't lie. I intend to plead guilty and spare your family the embarrassment," according to charges filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court.

Wehmeyer, 47, who was removed as the Roman Catholic church's pastor in June, faces three counts of criminal sexual conduct.

On Friday, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi was asked whether his office was reviewing other possible cases involving Wehmeyer. Choi replied, "Stay tuned." Also Friday, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released a statement saying it "deeply regrets the pain caused by clergy misconduct or by others within the Church, and is offering its support and assistance to all concerned."

Neither Wehmeyer, of Oakdale, nor his attorney could be reached for comment.

According to the charges, on June 21 of this year, one of the boys told their mother that Wehmeyer had molested him in the trailer. She informed the church, and the archdiocese gave the information to St. Paul police.

The archdiocese immediately removed Wehmeyer from his ministerial duties. Since then, he has not practiced any ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to Friday's statement. The archdiocese cooperated fully with the ensuing police investigation, and learned only Friday that Wehmeyer had been formally charged, the statement said.

When Wehmeyer was arrested at the church, the complaint says, he apologized to an employee for "the people that he had hurt."

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