Ex-priest charged with sex assault against child in 1989

DITTMER, Mo. – A former Catholic priest has been arrested at a Missouri facility that provides a home for disgraced clergy, accused of sexually assaulting a child in North Texas 31 years ago.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 78-year-old Richard Thomas Brown was arrested Tuesday on a warrant issued by Dallas police. Brown is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child.

The arrest occurred at a supervised living facility known as the Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer, about 30 miles (48.28 kilometres) southwest of St. Louis. The centre is run by the Servants of the Paraclete.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Brown had an attorney. A phone message left Thursday with an official with the Servants of the Paraclete was not immediately returned. A woman answering the phone at the renewal centre declined comment.

Last year, the Dallas Catholic Diocese named Brown on a list of credibly accused priests. Brown, who was ordained in Texas in 1980 and removed from priesthood in 2002, served at least five churches in North Texas.