A Catholic priest who was removed from his position as pastor of a large Fort Collins parish three years ago vehemently denies child sexual-abuse charges filed against him this week, the priest’s attorney said Thursday.
Few details are available about the case against the Rev. Timothy Joseph Evans, 43, because a district judge has imposed a gag order and sealed the court file.
Evans’ attorney, Erik Fischer of Fort Collins, said a man in his 20s brought the allegations, which date to 1998. That was the first year Evans served at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, a 2,000-plus-member family church on the city’s growing south side.
Evans was advised Wednesday in Larimer County Court of the four counts against him: two counts of sexual abuse on a child by a person in a position of trust, and a count each of a pattern of abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. All are felonies.
He declined to comment Thursday on the charges filed against him, saying only, “I’d love to, but I can’t.”
The clergy abuse crisis that has rippled across the U.S. Catholic Church since early 2002 struck the Denver archdiocese with force just recently. Since August, a dozen lawsuits have been filed against the archdiocese accusing it of negligence.
Those cases, however, involve claims dating back decades, making criminal prosecution impossible. The charges against Evans are thought to be the first against a priest of the archdiocese, which includes Fort Collins, since the scandal broke out.
Fran Maier, chancellor of the archdiocese, said in a statement that the archdiocese is “deeply concerned” by the charges against Evans, and he encouraged anyone with relevant information to cooperate with authorities.
Evans’ next court date is scheduled for Dec. 20 in Larimer County District Court. Linda Jensen, a spokeswoman for the Larimer County district attorney’s office, said no one with the office could discuss details of the case because of the gag order.
She said the DA’s office requested the file be sealed “because of the nature of the case,” and the defense did not object.
Asked about his client’s reaction, Fischer said, “Any time there’s an allegation and it comes into the press, it’s a devastating thing. He’s just trying to handle it the best he can.”
Evans was ordained in 1993. He served from 1993 to 1996 at Spirit of Christ Parish in Arvada and from 1996 to 1998 at Our Lady of Fatima in Lakewood, Maier said. He moved to St. Elizabeth in Fort Collins in 1998 and became pastor in 1999.
Maier said the archdiocese removed Evans from parish ministry in 2002 and a year later took away his ability to function as a priest. He would not explain why. Evans remains a priest but has no church assignment.
Maier would not say whether the archdiocese has fielded allegations against Evans but said church officials notify law enforcement when told of child sex abuse in keeping with archdiocesan policy and state law.
The news has been greeted with surprise and sadness at St. Elizabeth, where Evans was known as an energetic if not experienced pastor, said Howard Frisinger, a retired deacon. He recalled Evans as a good homilist who got along well with young people.
Deacon Jim Devlin said parishioners never knew why Evans was removed as pastor and were reeling from the charges.
“Please, pray for Father Tim,” Devlin said. “And if there is a victim, pray for healing.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley contributed to this report.
Staff writer Eric Gorski can be reached at 303-820-1698 or egorski@denverpost.com.
