Louisiana
Arrest of priest for child molestation reignites scandal in Louisiana diocese
Authorities in south-west Louisiana recently arrested a Roman Catholic priest on accusations of behaving indecently with a child, igniting a new scandal in the diocese where the US church’s reckoning with clergy abuse began – an institution that just disclosed it could lose up to $162m over pending litigation.
Korey LaVergne was jailed Friday evening on three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to Acadia parish sheriff KP Gibson, whose agency arrested the priest. LaVergne had presided over mass at St Edward church in Richard – where the Lafayette diocese had assigned him as pastor – hours before he was booked into the Acadia lockup.
Records showed LaVergne made bail in the amount of $15,000 less than 90 minutes after he was jailed to secure his release from custody pending the outcome of the case.
Details about the allegations against LaVergne weren’t immediately available, with Gibson saying on Saturday that his office intended to issue a news release later “as the investigation allows”. A spokesperson for the Lafayette diocese said LaVergne’s arrest occurred after a report of “possible misconduct by [the] cleric” but didn’t elaborate.
“The diocese will continue to assist law enforcement and requests prayers for all who are involved,” the church statement said.
LaVergne, 37, had previously served as the Lafayette diocese’s official courier. In that role, he had drawn news headlines for bringing thousands of pages of documents to the Vatican outlining the cause for sainthood for Charlene Richard, who died from acute lymphatic leukemia at age 12 in 1959 and became known for offering her suffering up to God as well as others.
Richard, nicknamed the Little Cajun Saint, is buried at St Edward.
LaVergne’s arrest comes at a relatively fragile time for the Lafayette diocese, which was founded in 1918 and tends to a congregation of about 150,000 Catholics.
In a financial report posted in November, the diocese disclosed its “total range of potential loss on [pending litigation] claims with a reasonably possible likelihood of unfavorable outcome is $88,187,500 to $162,450,000”. That range derived from an estimate conducted by its legal counsel, which had “reviewed the lawsuits in order to evaluate the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome”, the diocese’s 39-page report said.
A Lafayette diocese priest named Gilbert Gauthe effectively brought the decades-old, worldwide Catholic clergy abuse crisis to the US by pleading guilty in 1985 to molesting several boys. He served 10 years in prison, now lives in Texas, and has continued to be named in lawsuits from victims who are seeking damages over their abuse at his hands.
The Lafayette diocese subsequently sought to strike down a law passed by Louisiana’s state legislature in 2021 that enabled survivors of long-ago sexual molestation to pursue civil damages in court. But the state’s supreme court upheld the law as constitutional in June 2024 despite the Lafayette diocese’s arguments to the contrary.
Elsewhere in Louisiana, about 135 miles (217km) east of Lafayette, the Catholic archdiocese of New Orleans agreed in December to pay about $305m to roughly 600 survivors of clergy molestation.
The New Orleans archdiocese took that step more than five years after filing for federal bankruptcy protection as it tried to limit the financial fallout of its involvement in the global church’s clergy abuse scandal.
News of LaVergne’s arrest prompted a statement from the executive director of TentMakers of Louisiana, a non-profit group dedicated to supporting Catholic clergy sex abuse survivors.
“This arrest is heartbreaking – not because it is shocking, but because it confirms that child sexual abuse in the church is still happening,” said the statement from Letitia Peyton, whose son was molested by a Lafayette Catholic priest in a case that later sent the cleric to prison. “Accountability must be immediate, transparent and enforced – anything less allows harm to continue.”
Generally, under Louisiana law, indecent behavior with a juvenile can carry up to seven years in prison.
The state defines the crime as “any lewd or lascivious act … in the presence of any child under the age of 17”. Messages – including texts – and actions alleged to be grooming can constitute the offense, according to Louisiana’s law.
Attempts to contact LaVergne weren’t immediately successful. He was ordained into the priesthood in 2018, a biography on the St Edward church’s website said. The biography said he had been appointed the pastor of St Edward in July 2021.
Online video of the mass LaVergne presided over shortly before his arrest showed him welcoming visiting students of an elementary Catholic school from nearby Crowley, Louisiana.
“You’re always welcome here to the home of the Little Cajun Saint, and we’re happy that you’ve come to hear her story and to learn more about the life … that she led,” LaVergne could be seen saying on the video of the service.
Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
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Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.
Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.
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