BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn.-Former priest William Casey was found guilty Thursday in Sullivan County Criminal Court of first-degree sexual misconduct and two counts of aggravated rape.
He was taken into custody immediately and is being held without bond pending a July 22 sentencing hearing.
The verdict was delivered at 1 p.m. The charges alleged Casey, 77, of 740 Shakerag Road, Greeneville, Tenn., began to sexually abuse a young altar boy shortly after becoming priest of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in Kingsport in the 1970s.
Sullivan County District Attorney Barry Staubus called the case “one of the most emotionally draining” that he’s ever handled, but said he believed the victim, Warren Tucker, now 46, finally has been “vindicated” after 35 years.
Tucker could not be reached for comment after the trial. Instead, Cal Pfeiffer, a representative of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests – the nonprofit group that first encouraged Tucker to go to police – offered comment on his behalf.