St. Paul priest charged with abusing 2 brothers

Published 6:47 am Sunday, September 23, 2012

MINNEAPOLIS — A former pastor at a St. Paul parish who faces charges for allegedly molesting one boy and exposing himself to another had told one of his victims not to tell anyone or the “parish would fall apart,” according to a criminal complaint released Friday.

Curtis Carl Wehmeyer was the parish priest at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament until this June, when he was removed from duty after church authorities learned of the allegations. Wehmeyer, 47, was charged Thursday with three counts of criminal sexual conduct, including one felony.

According to the charges, a boy told authorities that Wehmeyer abused him throughout the summer of 2010, when he was 12. He said Wehmeyer took him to a camper trailer on church grounds, gave him beer and marijuana and touched his genitals while showing him pornography. The complaint said Wehmeyer also exposed himself to the boy and to the boy’s older brother, who was 14 at the time.

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The younger boy told police that Wehmeyer said “if he told anyone, he would no longer be able to be a priest and the parish would fall apart,” the complaint said.

During interviews with investigators, the older brother also said the boys went on a camping trip with Wehmeyer near Big Sandy Lake in Aitkin County in 2010. According to the complaint, the older brother told police he shared a bed with Wehmeyer on the trip, and put blankets and pillows between himself and the priest. The boy said he woke up during the night to find Wehmeyer touching him, and when he awoke in the morning, the barricade of pillows was gone and Wehmeyer’s hands were across the boy’s chest.