State and local investigations of two East Tennessee Catholic priests have concluded, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville announced, clearing the way for it to conduct its own review.
In what a diocese spokesperson said were unrelated cases, the Revs. Joseph Reed and Miguel Velez had been accused of “boundary violations” and placed on administrative leave in December, as government agencies looked into the complaints.
At the time, the principal of the Knoxville-area St. John Neumann Catholic School, where Reed was the top pastor, told the school community in a letter that the matter was harmless: She described the diocese’s response as an “overcorrection” while it worked to rebuild trust following past challenges with former leadership.
The diocese announced the end of the state and local investigations Monday.