A former Pennsylvania Catholic priest, who served in the Diocese of Erie for four decades, received a prison sentence for child sexual abuse.
A Jefferson County Common Pleas Court judge sentenced David Poulson to 2 ½ to 14 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing a boy and attempting to sexually assault another boy.
In May 2018, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office filed sexual abuse charges against Poulson. A statewide investigating jury recommended the criminal charges against the former priest.
Bishop Lawrence Persico suspended Poulson from serving in the Catholic ministry last year.
Poulson’s victims were eight and 15 years old at the time when he committed the sexual offenses.
The Catholic Diocese of Erie did not report the predator priest to authorities
According to Attorney General Josh Shapiro, “Poulson assaulted one of his victims more than twenty times in church rectories. He made that victim go to confession and confess the abuse – to Poulson. He used the tools of the priesthood to further his abuse. Today, Poulson was held accountable and now faces a significant jail sentence.”
