A Texas priest has been indicted on sexual assault by women he met in the Church.
A Texas priest has been indicted on two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of first-degree sexual assault. The grand jury reached their latest decision months after the Roman Catholic priest was first arrested in July.
Anthony Odiong, 55, was previously accused of crimes ranging from sexual coercion and unwelcome touching to financial abuse, all by women whom he met through his work in the church. After these reports became public, another woman reported Odiong for sexually assaulting her in 2012.
Police began their investigation and quickly found that the priest utilized his position to prey on emotionally vulnerable women. As a spiritual leader, Odiong served as a mentor for those confronting “difficulties in their personal lives.”
He had sexual intercourse with at least one of the women involved in the case, and pressured another to confide in him about intimate details of her sex life with her husband.
Investigators allegedly found digital child abuse imagery in Odiong’s possession. Although this evidence was not included in the recent indictment, authorities may obtain a related formal charge in the future.
At least eight women have spoken up against Odiong, and a growing number have since been identified, according to officials. In Texas, this number of potential survivors removes statutes of limitation as a consideration.
One of the survivors of Odiong’s alleged abuse said in her statement: “I sought spiritual direction from Anthony Odiong during one of the darkest phases of my life. Rather than helping me, he exploited my vulnerability and trust. He manipulated, coerced, threatened, and assaulted me and the Austin diocese did nothing to protect me, despite having received at least one previous report about his conduct.”
Anthony Odiong was booked into the McLennan County Jail in early September, held on a $2.5 million bond.
Numerous survivors have already spoken about feeling grateful for the chance to seek justice.
“My marriage and relationship with my children, my physical and psychological health, and, most importantly, my relationship with God have suffered badly for over a decade… I am heartbroken to learn that I am only one of many women who has endured [Odiong’s] abuse. I am grateful, however, to live in a state that recognizes what he did as the serious crime that it is.”
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
