A Catholic parish and school in the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, has fired an employee who was responsible for background checks and sexual abuse awareness training after he was arrested for possession of material depicting child pornography and abuse.
The employee, John Denzel, 60, worked as a safe environment coordinator for St. Brigid of Kildare, a parish and preschool through eighth grade school in Dublin, Ohio.
According to a report from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, he was arrested by the Union County Sheriff’s Office on August 5.
An official from the Union County District Court in Ohio told CNA that Denzel was briefly detained at the Tri-County Regional Jail and has since been released on his own bond.
Denzel, who has been employed at St. Brigid of Kildare since 2017 and has held the position of Safe Environment Coordinator since 2022, was charged on July 26 with 15 counts related to possession of child pornography.
He is charged with four counts of facilitating sexually motivated acts of minors and eleven counts of illegally using minors or disabled persons in material or performances containing nudity.
According to court documents, the crimes occurred between July 6, 2022, and January 3, 2023, during the period when Denzel was working for the Diocese of Columbus as a safe environment coordinator.
As safe environment coordinator, Denzel was tasked with ensuring the parish and school followed diocese safety guidelines. He also conducted fingerprint background checks and coordinated the parish and school’s sexual abuse awareness course for volunteers, according to an archived parish website.
Jason Mays, a spokesman for the Diocese of Columbus, told CNA that the diocese was notified of the “shocking and reprehensible criminal allegations” against Denzel on August 6, the day after his arrest.
“Upon learning of the charges against him, his employment was immediately terminated,” Mays said, adding, “The administrations of St. Brigid of Kildare and the Diocese of Columbus are fully cooperating with local law enforcement authorities in conducting a thorough investigation.”
In addition, Mays said that Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus “has ordered an immediate evaluation of the hiring and onboarding processes of all parish-level safe environment coordinators.”
“The Diocese of Columbus has a zero-tolerance policy that requires all staff and volunteers, without exception, to uphold high standards of conduct,” Mays added. “The Diocese of Columbus takes child protection seriously and continues to combat all forms of child abuse.”
