A Pennsylvania Catholic priest accused of possessing child porn may now face additional charges for sexually assaulting parishioners, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
In the latest accusations against Mark Haynes, formerly of SS. Simon and Jude Parish in Westtown, three parishioners claim he molested them in the '90s, the Chester County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
One of the alleged victims, a girl, said Haynes forced her to perform oral sex on him in a confessional booth at a church in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The 55-year-old allegedly made her perform the act after she confessed to having oral sex with another boy, the Inquirer reported.
Prosecutors did not release many details about the latest accusations except that the three parishioners were minors at the time of their alleged assaults. The priest has not yet been charged with sexual abuse, but that could change as a result of the district attorney's investigation.
Chester County police first arrested the New Jersey native last October after investigators said he posed as a teenage girl on the Internet named "Katie Caponetti" and urged other children to send him pornographic images.
He asked at least 25 teenage girls to send him nude photos, Chester County police said, according to the newspaper.
After Haynes was charged and released on bail, he allegedly resumed his "Caponetti" role and trolled for more child porn. A search of his computer he kept at the rectory in Westtown turned up phrases like "nude teen girls," and "8th grade girls tumblr," according to court documents.
Federal authorities took over the case, and the FBI arrested Haynes in February.
This time around, prosecutors argued for Haynes to remain in jail pending his trial, which a judge agreed with after reviewing evidence from their investigation.
In the meantime, Haynes has been suspended from SS. Simon and Judge's rectory, the newspaper reported. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia said it "is cooperating fully in the process of the investigation."
